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Bible Principles, 

ILLUSTRATED 

? r 

BIBLE CHARACTERS! 


IN WHICn AEE ILLUSTRATED THE PRINCIPLES OF THE DIYINE GOVERNMENT 
AS APPLIED TO MEN, COMMUNITIES AND NATIONS — STRENGTHENING THE 
PATRIOTIC, ENCOURAGING THE VIRTUOUS, HELPING THE TIMID, CHEER- 
ING THE PIOUS, AND INTERESTING THE YOUNG. CHARACTERS 
DISCRIMINATED — INFLUENCE OF TEMPERAMENT ON RELIGIOUS 
EXPERIENCE, FREE AGENCY IN HUMAN CONDUCT, FORE- 
TELLING THE FORM OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT TO BE 
UNIVERSAL AND PERMANENT, AND THE PER- 
FECT TRIUMPH OF CHRISTIANITY. 


a- 


PRINCIPLES MAKE THE MAN. 


✓ 


/ 3 - >f 

EEV. WILLIAM PATTON, D. D., 

n 

Author of “Wines of the Ancients,” “ Village Testament,” “Destruction 
of Jerusalem,” “Jesus of Nazareth,” Editor of the 
“Cottage Bible,” Etc., Etc. 




HARTFORD, CONN.: 

JAMES BETTS & CO. 
W. M. FARRAR, CHICAGO, ILL. 
1879. 


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Jo. 11 ik.lt 

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Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1879, 
By WILLIAM PATTON, D.D., 

In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 

)„c®* 


PREFACE. 


That principles make the man, is so obvious a truth 
as scarcely to need an illustration. Principles being the 
foundation of character, whether good or bad, it is impor- 
tant that their outworkings should be often brought for- 
ward. The Bible traces all moral conduct to the heart. 
“ A good tree bringeth not forth evil fruit, neither doth a 
corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is 
known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather 
figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good 
man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth 
that which is good ; and an evil man out of the evil treas- 
ure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of 
the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” — Luke 
6 : 43-45. Hence the injunction, “ Keep thy heart with 
all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” — Prov. 
4 : 23. “ For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” — Prov. 
23 : 7. Not what he may, in his vanity, think himself to 
be ; for here a deceitful heart may lead him astray ; but 
that the prevailing, cherished thoughts of his heart will 
absolutely determine his character. The principles which 
a man adopts, as the rule of his life, will, in their out- 
workings, develop his true character. If his principles 
are bad they will make a bad man. As his principles in- 
sure bad conduct, so also bad conduct re-acts and strength- 
ens his bad principles. 

“Faults in the life breed errors in the brain : 

And these reciprocally those again, 

The. mind and conduct mutually imprint 
And stamp their image in each others mint ; 

Each sire and dam, of an infernal race, 

Begetting and conceiving all that’s base.” — Cowpek. 

p. 3 


4 


PREFACE. 


The plan of this volume is not biographical. I sieze 
upon a prominent trait and show how that trait was the 
outgrowth of principle. For example, Job’s love and 
worship of God for what God is, and not for what of 
worldly good he bestows, illustrates the disinterested 
character of his religion. So, also, Abraham’s firm confi- 
dence in the truthfulness of God, wrought out implicit 
and prompt truthfulness in the most trying circumstances. 
The truthfulness, obedience and devotion of Joseph were 
the staple of his character. These sustained him. They 
forced him up through oppression, calumny and false 
charges, to the confidence and affection of those whom 
he served, until he was second only to the king. 

In the characters introduced, I have traced out the 
controlling influence of their principles, in the good to 
honor and immortality, and in the bad to disgrace and 
ruin. 

I have brought into prominence the moral government 
of God, illustrating the great principles of the divine 
government in their application to individuals and also to 
nations. Adonibezek, Ahab and Jezebel demonstrate the 
retributive principle. Tyre and Babylon show that, when 
a nation or community have gone so far in sinning as to 
be only a continued source of corruption, they are blotted 
out. 

The same moral law is binding upon nations equally as 
upon individuals. But nations, having existence only in 
the present life, must receive all their rewards of pros- 
perity or doom here. Hence they have their infancy, 
their growth, their maturity and their extinction, but no 
resurrection. 

The pictorial illustrations are designed, through the 
eye, to impress the mind more vividly. We all remember 
the impressions made in our youth, by the pictures in 
Fox’s book of the Martyrs and the scenes in Robinson 
Crusoe. The imagination may safely be used for religious 


PREFACE. 


5 

instruction. It should be the more thus used because it 
has been extensively employed for evil. A single view of 
the print in this volume, of the scourging of Jesus, will 
stamp impressions which can never be effaced. 

I am pleased to acknowledge the aid I have received, 
for dates and references to authorities, to the able Disserta- 
tions on the Prophecies by Rev. Thomas Newton, D.D., 
late Lord Bishop of Bristol, England. Also, to the learn- 
ed Treaties of Rev. John Jahn, D.D., late of the University 
of Vienna, on Biblical Antiquities and History of the 
Hebrew Commonwealth. Nor would I omit to acknow- 
ledge my indebtedness to the Biblical Encyclopedia and 
the Pictorial Bible of Rev. John Kitts, D.D., and also 
Dictionary of the Bible by Rev. Wm. Smith. 

All my readers may not agree with me in my exposi- 
tion of the stone-power mentioned by Daniel. They will 
not condemn me for giving my opinion. Of this I feel 
confident, that if it does no good it will do no harm. It 
will unsettle no man’s confidence in the Scriptures, nor in 
the argument from prophecy for the moral government 
of God. 

I am cheered with the belief that the view I have taken 
will strengthen the confidence of many in the stability 
and permanence of the Great Republic, as the divine 
model of civil governments. 

The Hon. Henry Wilson, who heard my lecture on 
the Stone-Power, delivered in the Hall of Representatives, 
in compliance with a request of forty members, stated to 
me at the close, that he had carefully followed me in the 
steps of my argument, that his convictions were clear of 
the justness of my views, and his desire to have them 
widely circulated, as he felt impressed with the respon- 
sibilities which rested upon us as a nation. 

I commit this volume to the kindness of the thoughtful 
and patriotic. 

F WILLIAM PATTON. 

New Haven, 1879. 


CONTENTS, 


FAGE. 

JOB— True Religion not Meecenaet, 8 

ABRAHAM — Faith Triumphant,. 43 

JOSEPH — Value of Character, 67 

MOSES — Sanctified Talent the Rod of God, Whereby we do 

Wonders, 115 

AD ONIBEZEK— Measure foe Measure, 171 

DAVID — Penitent Submission, 191 

AGIJR— Prayer of Common Sense, 213 

HIEL, THE BET IIELITE— Madness of Infidelity, . . . 241 
AIIAB AND JEZEBEL— Retribution Certain, .... 259 

AMAZIAH — Conflict Between Duty and Interest, . . . 289 

PROUD TYRE— Foretellings and Doom, 305 

HAUGHTY BABYLON — Prophecy and History, . . . 325 


DANIEL— Far-seeing Prophet; Stone-Power; What is it, . . 347 

WOMAN OF SAMARIA— Christ’s Method With a Sinner, . 413 


DEMONIAC — Three Prayers, 

RICH LAND-HOLDER — Covetousness Defined, . . . 463 

MARY AND MARTHA— Religion and Temperament, . . ’ . 437 

JUDAS— Free Agency Demonstrated, 519 

PETER’S FALL — Former Sins Revived, 535 

HIGH PRIESTS— Murderers of Christ, 563 

PILATE— Defender Conquered ....... 579 

JOSEPH AND NICODEMUS— The Timid Brought Out, . . 597 

PETER AND JOHN — Courage and Logic, 603 

JESUS THE CHRIST — Messiah of Prophecy, .... 613 

p.6 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Steel Engraved Likeness of Author— frontispiece . 

S DEEP-FOLD, 

Camels, 

Job Hearing of his Ruin, 

Job’s Latter End, 

Ur of Chaldea, 

Sees Promised Land, 

As Stars of Heaven, 

Abraham and Isaac, 

Ram’s Head, ....... 

Joseph Sold, ........ 

Egyptian Lady, 

Cup-Bearers, 

Tray of Meats, . . * 

Joseph Before Pharaoh, ..... 

Joseph Interpreting, 

Cup in Benjamin’s Sack, 

Joseph Reveals Himself, 

Pharaoh’s Daughter, 

Oriental Shepherds, 

Women Drawing Water, 

Burning Bush, ....... 

Pharaoh’s Palace, ...... 

Aaron’s Rod, 

Frogs, 

Death of First-Born, 

Destruction of Pharaoh, ..... 

Camel Post, 

Jericho, 

Death of Ahab, 

Jezreel, 

Petra Edom, 

Valley of Salt, 

Ruins of Edom, 

Jacob’s Well, 

Bethany, 

Alabaster Boxes, 

High Priests, 

Jewish Scribes, 

Roman Consul, 

Roman Soldiers, 

Scourging, 

Interior of Tomb, .•••••• 

Bethlehem, 

Nazareth, 

Gethsemane, . 


PAGE. 

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JOB. 


True Religion Not Mercenary. 





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JOB. 

TRUE RELIGION NOT MERCENARY. 


The brief record of the Bible is : “ There was a man in 
the land of Uz whose name was Job.’ ’ “ The land of Uz ” 

is also mentioned by Jeremiah 25 : 20, “ and all the kings 
of the land of Uz ; ’ 5 and in Lamentations 4 : 21. “ Rejoice 
and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the 
land of Edom.” This would locate Uz as a city of Edom, 
probably not far from Bozra. 

As Job is named in the Scriptures with others, it is 
proper to regard him as a real person, and not a mere fic- 
tion. By the prophet Ezekiel, 14 : 14, God declares, 
“ though these three men, Noah, Daniel and Job, were 
in it ; they should deliver but their own souls by their 
righteousness.” In the 20th verse it is written, “though 
Noah, Daniel and Job were in it ; as I live saith the Lord 
God, they shall deliver neither son, nor daughter ; they 
shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.” 
In verses 16 and 18 this language is twice repeated, 
“ though these men were in it.” This four-fold reference 
to Job, in connection with Noah and Daniel, is as reliable 
evidence that he was a person, as that Noah and Daniel 
were once living men. James in his Epistle, 5 : 11, thus 
speaks, “ ye have heard of the patience of Job.” He re- 
fers to this patient sufferer to encourage the persecuted 
saints of his day to have confidence in God, adding “ and 
have seen the end of the Lord,” that is, of the trial of Job, 
“ that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy.” 


10 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


It is not with questions about the time in which Job 
lived, or by whose pen the book was written, that we now 
have to do, but with the character of this man. That in 
his day he was eminent for his moral excellence we have 
the authority of inspiration. 4 4 That man was perfect and 
upright, and one that feared God and eschewed evil.” — 
Job 1 : 1. That he did not consider himself as perfect, in 
the sense of being free from all sin, is clear from his own 
confession: 4 4 if I justify myself, mine own mouth shall 
condemn me ; if I say I am perfect, it shall also prove 
me perverse. 5 ’ — J ob 9 : 20. 4 4 1 am vile. 5 9 — J ob 40 : 4. 4 4 1 
abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” — Job 42 : 6. 
He was perfect, in the sense that his governing motive and 
ruling purpose was to do right in all things. With the 
Apostle he could say, 44 for our rejoicing is this, the tes- 
timony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly 
sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of 
God, we had our conversation in the world.” — 2 Cor. 1 : 12. 
He was 44 upright,” literally straight ; as a road is direct, 
so was his daily life. It was proper, and consistent, and 
right — undeviatingly just. He 44 feared God.” His fear 
was not slavish, which yields only a reluctant obedience, 
but that filial fear which delights to serve. 44 The fear of 
the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,” — Prov. 1 : 7. 

4 4 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” — Prov. 
9 : 10. His 4 4 eschewing evil” means more than he does 
not intend to commit sin. It denotes a strong aversion to 
every form of evil, and that he ran away from it. He 
thus determinately ran away from it, not through appre- 
hension of danger and trouble, but because of the loath- 
ing abhorrence he had of all sin. Such is the character 
which God has recorded of the patriarch Job. A man 
devout, sincere and upright, consciously abstaining from 
all known sins. This is the man whose piety is subject- 
ed to the severest practicable test. 

In this trial the unselfish nature of true religion is 


JSSTJTIO* Tf JOB. ~ j-rrjfT £ |1 

broughtoutf clear and glorious as the noon day snn. The 
principles of the moral government of God are also illus- 
trated in the treatment to which the virtuous are subject- 
. ed in this world. ‘‘I was envious at the foolish, when I 
saw the prosperity of the wicked.” “Verily I have 
cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in inno- 
cency. For all the day long have I been plagued, and 
chastened every morning.” “ When I thought to know 
this, it was too painful for me, until I went into the sanc- 
tuary of God, then understood I their end.” — Ps. 73 : 3, 13, 
14, 17. God’s dealings with men do not terminate with 
this life, they reach into eternity, where the consummation 
will justify all God’s ways, by rendering to every man ac- 
cording to his real character, who will render to every 
man according to his deeds.” — Rom. 2:6. 

The book which records this trial must be taken as a 
whole. Every part of the narrative, whilst it brings out 
and corrects the false estimates of God’s providential gov- 
ernment, still bears directly on the one grand object, that 
true religion is not mercenary. 

The principle character in this drama of real life, is in- 
troduced as a person of commanding wealth and station, 
respected and honored by all classes. “ When I went out 
to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in 
the street ! The young men saw me, and hid themselves ; 
and the aged arose and stood up. The princes refrained 
talking, and laid their hand on their mouth. The nobles 
held their peace, and their tongue cleaved to the roof of 
their mouth. When the ear heard me, then it blessed me ; 
and when the eye saw me, it gave witness to me ; because 
I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and 
him that had none to help him. The blessing of him that 
was ready to perish came upon me ; and I caused the 
widow’s heart to sing for joy.” — Job 29 : 7-13. This was 
a position which all might covet, and which promised 
to him happiness unalloyed and permanent. “Then I 


12 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


said I shall die in my nest, and I shall multiply my days 
as the sand.” — Job 29 : 18. This is the man who is sub- 
jected to a series of sudden reverses and severe afflictions, 
that the grander traits of his religious character may stand 
out to the glory of God, and for the cheer and encourage- 
ment of the sorely tempted in all the ages. 


PECULIARITY IN THE NARRATIVE. 

The peculiarity consists in the opening up of scenes in 
the invisible world with their visible answering provi- 
dences. Though this peculiarity is first brought to our 
notice in the book of Job ; it also occurs in the subse- 
quent histories. 

In 1 Kings 22 : 15, and 2 Chron. 18 : 14, a scene in the 
invisible world is revealed. When Ahab, king of Israel, 
asked of the prophet Micaiah “shall we go up against 
Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we forbear?” Satiri- 
cally, he said, divining the purpose of the king ; “go and 
prosper ; for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the 
king.” Ahab, suspecting the irony, said, “How many 
times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that 
which is true in the name of the Lord.” Then Micaiah 
said “I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep 
that have not a shepherd ; and the Lord said, these have 
no master ; let them return every man to his house in 
peace.” The king was not satisfied with this, as it clear- 
ly denoted his defeat and death. Then Micaiah tells of 
the scene in the invisible world. “ I saw the Lord sitting 
on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by 
him on his right hand and on his left. And the Lord 
said, who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go and fall 
at Kamoth-gilead ? And one said on this manner, and 
another said on that manner. And there came forth a 
spirit and stood before the Lord, (Satan which deceiveth 


JOB. 


13 


the whole world. — Rev. 12 : 9,) and said, I will persuade 
him. And the Lord said unto him, wherewith ? And he 
said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the 
mouth of all his prophets (of Baal). And he said, thou 
shalt persuade him and prevail also ; go forth and do so.” 
This by some is regarded as a vision. But a prophetic 
vision sees things as they are. Realities, and not mere 
imaginings. 

The prophet Micaiah tells Ahab : “the Lord hath put 
a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and 
the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee.” Thus warn- 
ed he should have rejected the advice of his prophets. 
He was by them assured of victory, and blindly, no not 
blindly, but doubtingly ; for after disguising himself he 
went to the battle. But it came to pass “that a certain 
man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Is- 
rael between the joints of the harness,” “and there went 
a proclamation throughout the host about the going down 
of the sun, saying, every man to his city, and every man 
to his own country. So the king died.” “Every bullet 
has its billet.” There need be no uneasiness about the 
permission of Satan, through the lying prophets, to per- 
suade Ahab to go where God had appointed the time, and 
place, and manner of his death. For hath not the Lord 
said, Isa. 66 : 4, “I also will choose their delusions.” 
“For this cause God shall send them strong delusions, 
that they should believe a lie .” — 2 Thess. 2 : 11. Thus 
are the incorrigible given up to the delusions in which 
they trust, that as they have sown so they may reap. 

The prophet Zechariah 3 : 1, 2, thus presents another 
scene. “And he showed me Joshua the High Priest, 
standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan, (the 
adversary, ) standing at his right hand to resist him. And 
the Lord said unto Satan, the Lord rebuke thee, O Satan ; 
even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee.” 

Still more impressive is the scene opened up by our 


14 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 

Saviour and recorded by Luke 16 : 19-31. The beggar* 
Lazarus, “ died and was carried by the angels into Abra- 
ham’ s bosom ; the rich man died and was buried. And in 
hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth 
Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he 
cried and said, Father Abraham have mercy on me, and 
send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in 
water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this 
flame.” “Abraham said, between us and you there is a 
great gulf fixed, so that they which would pass from hence 
to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would 
come from thence.” From no other part of the Scriptures 
do we gain so vivid a conviction of the separations and 
realities of the future world. The invisible is disclosed.' 

These illustrations taken from the inspired records, 
throw light upon and will help us the more perfectly to 
understand the remarkable scenes in the history of the 
trial of Job ; or that true religion is not mercenary. 

He stands before as occupying a prominent and hon- 
ored position. Every temporal thing which made life 
pleasant and to be desired he had in abundance. Had he 
thus lived through a long life, without any reverses he 
would have been praised and loved. The richer and more 
enduring elements of his character could not have been 
known. The sandalwood yields its sweetest fragrance to 
the stroke of the axe, and 

“ Darkness shows us worlds of light, 

We never see by day.” 

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers 
temptations ; knowing this, that the trying of your faith 
worketh patience.”— James 1 : 2, 3. “We glory in trib- 
ulations also ; knowing that tribulation worketh patience; 
and patience, experience ; and experience, hope ; and 
hope maketh not ashamed: because the love of Gfod is 


JOB. 


15 


slied abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is 
given unto ns.” — Horn. 5: 3-5. “ Wherein ye greatly 

rejoice, though now for a season (if needs be) ye are in 
heaviness through manifold temptations : that the trial 
of your faith, being much more precious than of gold 
that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found 
unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearance of 
Jesus Christ.” — 1 Peter 1 : 6-7. 


FIRST SCENE. 

The trial of Job opens with a scene in the invisible 
world. “Now there was a day when the sons of God, 
(good angels who are ministering spirits), came to present 
themselves before the Lord, and Satan, (the adversary, 
the accuser,) came also among them.” Why he came is 
not stated. For the development of the divine plan to 
illustrate in the character of Job that true religion is not 
mercenary, he was a necessary instrument. Such is the 
perfection of the moral government of God that he can 
and does use or overrule the voluntary agency of the 
wicked to work out his purposes. He does so use them 
as neither to interfere with their freedom and responsi- 
bility ; nor himself to be in any sense the author of sin. 
“ O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their 
hand is mine indignation. I will send him against a hypo- 
critical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I 
give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, 
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. How- 
beit he meaneth not so, neither doth his heart think so ; 
but it is in his heart to destroy and cut off nations not a 
few.” “Wherefore it shall come to pass, that, when the 
Lord hath performed his whole work upon Mount Zion 
and on Jerusalem, I will punish (visit upon him) the fruit 
of the stout heart of the king of Assyria and the glory of 


16 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


his high looks.’ * — Isa. 10 : 5-12. There is no more diffi- 
culty in God’s using the selfish schemes of wicked men to 
punish, by loss or by death, than His accomplishing the 
same through the agency of storms, or fires, or earthquake, 
or pestilence, or famine. They are all his instruments 
to accomplish what in the end will be seen to have been 
wise and benevolent. When a community like Sodom 
and Gomorrah, or Pompeii and Herculaneum, have become 
so corrupt that all sense of shame is obliterated, then they 
are beyond reformation. To blot them out is a work of 
benevolence, for justice is only one form of benevolence, 
that they may not continue only as a corrupting power 
upon others. Thus when the dwellers of Palestine had 
filled up the cup of their iniquity and there was no ground 
left for reformation, the commission was given to the 
Israelites to enter in and possess the land, and to destroy 
all the inhabitants. “But thou shalt utterly destroy 
them ; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaan- 
ites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as 
the Lord thy God hath commanded thee ; that they teach 
you not to do after all their abominations which they have 
done unto their gods ; so should ye sin against the Lord 
your God.” — Deut. 20: 17, 18. God, as the creator, be- 
ing the universal proprietor, may dispose of life and 
property as his infinite and unerring wisdom and benevo- 
lence shall judge best. “Is it not lawful for me to do 
what I will with mine own ?” — Matt. 20 : 15. 

“ And the Lord said unto Satan whence comest thou V 9 
The rebellion of this archangel did not release him from 
personal accountability. His response is not open and 
frank as would have been that of an unfallen angel ; but 
is wary and cautious. “From going to and fro in the 
earth, and from walking up and down in it,” as though 
he were a gentleman of elegant leisure, and not “as a 
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” — 1 Pet. 5 : 8. 

Knowing the malignant character of his wanderings, 


JOB. 


17 


“the Lord said unto Satan, has thon considered my ser- 
vant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a per- 
fect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and es- 
cheweth evil?” The Lord placed a high estimate upon 
Job, and as such commended him to Satan’s special no- 
tice, as the exemplar of true religion. The reply dis- 
closes the fact that he had already most attentively re- 
garded Job, and that with all the influences he could then 
exert he had failed to swerve him from the path of recti- 
tude. He does not deny his excellent character as made 
manifest to the eye, but he assails his motive. He charges 
that the piety of Job was purely mercenary. “ Doth Job 
fear God for naught ? Far from it. Hast thou not made 
a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all 
that he hath on every side,” so that I cannot get at him 
to test his piety. If I could get at him I would demon- 
strate that all his devotion and integrity springs from 
pure selfishness. “Thou hast blessed the work of his 
hands, and his substance is increased in the land. ’ ’ Who 
would not serve thee for such protection, and for such 
ample rewards. “But put forth thine hand now, and 
touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.” 
Yes, only remove the hedge and let me take away all the 
good things with which he is blessed, and soon you will 
see how mercenary is his religion. “He will curse thee 
to thy face.” 

God accepts the test thus prepared and allows the re- 
quisite power. “And the Lord said unto Satan, behold 
all that he hath is in thy power ; only upon himself put 
not forth thy hand.” As Satan had only mentioned the 
worldly possessions as the ground of fidelity, so the Lord 
permits him to deal only with these. “So Satan went 
forth from the presence of the Lord.” Here this scene 
in the invisible world closes. 


18 


BIBLE PEINCIPLES. 


THE ANS WEEING- PEOVIDENCE. 

Job 1 : 13-19. 

Satan, whom the Apostle Paul calls the “ prince of the 
power of the air.” — Eph. 2 : 2 , and “the god of this 
world .” — 2 Cor. 4 : 4, and whom Christ styles “ the prince 
of the world.” — John 14 : 30 and 16 : 11, who offered to 
give to the Redeemer “all the kingdoms of the world” 
for one act of homage, having obtained full permission 
to try his hand upon Job, goes forth to his work. His 
zeal and determination are manifested by the suddenness* 
and rapidity, and extent of the desolations. 



SHEEP-FOLD. 


“There was a day when his sons and his daughters 
were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’ s 
house.” A messenger hurried into the presence of Job 
saying that all his oxen and asses were carried away by 



JOB. 


19 


the Sabeans; that the servants were slain, and that he 
alone had escaped. While he was speaking another rush- 
es in, saying “ the fire of God is fallen from heaven, and 
hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and that he 
alone had escaped. ” 



Whilst he is speaking, another, in breathless haste, tells 
him that the Chaldeans, in three bands, had driven away 


20 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


the camels, slain the servants, and that he alone had es- 
caped. 

Whilst yet speaking, another comes hastily, saying 
“ thy sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine 
in their eldest brother’s house, and there came a great 
wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners 
of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are 
dead, and I only am escaped.” 

Thus, as in a moment, all his worldly property is sud- 
denly and hopelessly swept away, and all his children are 
numbered with the dead. This was terrible affliction. 
Enough to overwhelm the spirit and to crush the heart. 
In one hour to be stripped of his worldly property, and 
made absolutely poor, — to be deprived of all his children, 
and made to sit solitary. This the devil believed would 
work rebellion, and make Job “ curse God to his face.” 


THE RESULT. 


Job 1 : 20-22. 

“Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his 
head, and fell upon the ground.” These were the tokens 
of his mourning, and that his heart was filled with in- 
tense sorrow. He lay upon the ground, not despondent 
and murmuring, — not quarreling with providence, not 
cursing God, but a submissive worshiper. “ Naked 
came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I re- 
turn thither ; the ‘Lord gave and the Lord hath taken 
away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”. He looked 
not with angry and revengeful feelings upon the imme- 
diate actors or second causes of his afflictions. He look- 
ed beyond these to God, the giver of all mercies, and 
found consolation in the belief that an infinitely wise and 
merciful sovereign presided over all his affairs and would 
do only that which was best. 



JOB HEARING OF HIS EUIN, 





22 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


“ With patience then thy course of duty run, 

God nothing does, nor suffers to be done, 

But you yourself would do, if you could see 
The end of all events as well as he.” 

Having sucli confidence in the divine sovereignty, well 
might he say “ blessed be the name of the Lord.” What 
a splendid triumph over Satan’ s malignant devices ! In 
this providence we notice, with gratitude, that Satan, with 
all his malignity and power, is under the perfect control 
of God. Though he is permitted, in various ways, to as- 
sail the saints to tempt them to sin, still he is only the 
instrumental agent to promote their spiritual good. The 
grace of God and the invincible power of the Holy Ghost 
is always present and available to those who look to God. 
“ And we know that all things work together for good, 
to them that love God.” — Rom. 8 : 28. 

The finding of the first trial is this : “ In all this Job 
sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” 


SECOND SCENE. 

Job 2: 1-6. 

“ Again, there was a day when the sons of God came 
to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came 
also among them to present himself before the Lord.” 
The design of this second gathering seems to be that Satan 
might report what progress he had made in proving the 
mercenary character of J ob’ s religion. Hence ‘ ‘ the Lord 
said unto Satan, from whence comest thou ?” Chagrined 
at his failure, Satan made no allusion to Job, but replied, 
as on the former occasion, “from going to and fro in the 
earth, and from walking up and down in it.” The Lord 
would not suffer this evasion. That the assembled sons 
of God might know the result, he said, “Hast thou con- 
sidered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the 


JOB. 


23 


earth, a perfect and upright man, one that feareth God 
and escheweth evil % and still he holdeth fast his integrity, 
although thou movest me against him, to destroy him 
without cause.’ ’ Here is the divine testimony, that Job 
had stood the trial, unparalleled as it was in its sudden 
severity, and that the disinterestedness of his religion was 
manifested. Instead of admitting his defeat Satan re- 
affirms his accusation. With persevering malignity he 
“ answered the Lord, and said, skin for skin, yea all that 
a man hath will he give for his life ;” that is, compared 
with life, neither property or children are of any account. 
The meaning is, that it was selfishness on the part of Job 
that made him submissive to his sudden and severe losses ; 
for had he let out the secret workings of his heart and 
uttered complaints of being unjustly dealt with, he feared 
that God, in his wrath, would slay him. The trial de- 
prived him of things without, and not essential to his per- 
sonal comfort. “But put forth thine hand now, and 
touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy 
face.” This proposed such an action upon the body as 
to destroy all personal comfort ; to subject him to intense 
sufferings — and to debase him in the estimation of all the 
community. Even to this the Lord acquiesced : “behold 
he is in thy hand ; but save his life.” This sole limita- 
tion to satanic malice was necessary. Had Satan been 
permitted to kill Job, it could not have been known wheth- 
er or not he maintained his integrity. “ So Satan went 
forth from the presence of the Lord.” This closes the 
second scene in the invisible world. 


THE ANSWERING PROVIDENCE. 

This persistent, malignant spirit went immediately to 
work. “He smote Job with sore boils from the sole of 
his foot unto his crown.” If these boils were such as now 


24 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


affect humanity, we know from experience how trouble- 
some and painful they are, and that they always appear 
in most inconvenient piaces, almost forbidding motion or 
quiet sleep. To have them all over the body from “the 
sole of the feet to the crown” of the head would be in- 
tolerable. Learned critics designate them as “ulcerous 
sores, burning ulcers.” It is more generally supposed to 
be the black leprosy of the Arabs, called by the Greeks 
Elephantiasis, from its rendering the skin, like that of the 
Elephant, scabrous, dark colored, and furrowed all over 
with tubercles, or small boils, accompanied with the most 
intolerable itching. Job says: “My skin is black.” 

‘ ‘ My skin is broken. ” “ My flesh is clothed with worms. 5 ’ 
Whatever was the specific nature of this disease we are 
assured that it was loathsome and intensely painful ; for 
“he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and 
he sat down among the ashes.” 

Bereft of property, and of his children, he is now afflicted 
with a disease so loathsome and appalling as to shut him 
out from all the walks of social life, so that he says “ I 
am a companion to owls.” So humbled and dishonored 
was he that even the most abject and degraded made him 
their by-word and their song, whilst others abhorred and 
fled from him. 


THE WIFE NO COMFORT. 

Perhaps the bitterest ingredient in this full cup of bit- 
terness, was that his wife, the chosen companion of his 
youth, the mother of his children, and the sharer of all his 
prosperity and honors, sympathized not but gave strange 
advice. It may be she was worn out by the long continu- 
ance of his sufferings and by the unceasing tide of oblo- 
quy and contempt poured upon him, hopeless and de- 
spairing of any relief she turned against him. “Then 


JOB. 


25 


said Ms wife unto him, dost thou still retain thine integ- 
rity ?” Why any longer resist and fight the temptation — 
your case is hopeless ? “ Curse God and die.” Strange 
advice from a wife ! Was it affection that prompted this 
advice, so that his sufferings might end? But cursing 
God was a poor preparation for death and the judgment. 
Did she advise him to commit suicide? It was only 
thus that he could be certain of immediate death. To 
curse God and to commit suicide are indeed harmonious, 
but nevertheless are fearful evidences of alienation from 
God. The best that we can make of her counsel was for 
him to renounce confidence in a God who thus wrong- 
fully, in her estimation, suffered these accumulated and 
protracted afflictions to press so heavily upon him. Give 
up your religion, and end your sufferings by ending your 
life. 

Job did not look favorably upon this counsel. “He 
said unto her, thou speakest as one of the foolish women 
speak.” What other estimate could he have of her when 
she advised him to end his sufferings by a double crime ? 
Instead of heeding her talk for a single moment, he 
promptly rebuked and manifested the disinterestedness of 
his religion and his continued full confidence in God, say- 
ing, ‘ 4 What ? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and 
shall we not receive evil ? He looked through all second- 
ary causes ; he saw and acknowledged the hand of God 
in all his trials. He recognized the right of God to do 
with him according to his wisdom and benevolence. It 
is as though he said shall we recognize God only in the 
bestowment of blessings and not also in the allotments 
of sorrow. The firm purpose of his heart was, “all the 
days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change 
come.” The testimony of God was, “ In all this did not 
Job sin with Ms lips.” 


2 


26 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


“ In each event of life, how dear, 

Thy ruling hand I see ; 

Each blessing to my soul most dear, 
Because conferred by thee. 

In every joy that crowns my days, 
In every pain I bear, 

My heart shall find delight in praise, 
Or seek relief in prayer.” 


THE THREE FRIENDS. 

Job 2: 11-13. 

The news of the strange reverses in the circnmstance of 
Job spread through the surrounding country. Three of 
his former friends, whom the septuagint translators de- 
nominate kings, or rather, patriarchs, came to visit him. 
“ Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that 
was come upon him, they came every one from his own 
place ; for they had made an appointment together to come 
to mourn with him and to comfort him.” This was gen- 
erous and noble to meet him with their sympathy, whilst 
others, perhaps the former recipients of his bounty, for- 
sook him, loading him with contempt and reproaches. 

‘ 4 When they lifted up their eyes afar off they knew 
him not.” His disease and sufferings had so changed 
his whole appearance. In their surprise 4 6 they lifted up 
their voices,” and with sympathetic sorrow “ they wept.” 
Sorrowful mourning, “they rent everyone his mantle, 
and sprinkled dust upon their heads towards heaven.” 
“They sat down with him upon the ground seven days 
and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him, for 
they saw that his grief was very great.” Well might 
they sit dumb in astonishment, when they looked upon 
their friend, once of manly porte and noble bearing, but 
now so crushed and sitting in the ashes, a loathsome suf- 


JOB. 


27 


ferer : once so wealthy and universally honored, now so 
poor, and the scorn and derision of the basest. Deep 
thoughts stirred > them. Why this change ? Had they 
mistaken the character of their friend ? Clouds, deepen- 
ing clouds envelop them. They could not see through 
this mystery. For seven days and seven nights they spake 
not. They had great and conflicting thoughts, but no 
solution, or clue to the solution. Sit there ye friends and 
ponder the ways of God towards man, or give ear whilst 
J ob utters his 


COMPLAINTS. 

Job 3 : 1-26. 

Though J ob did not curse God, nor contemn his provi- 
dential discipline, still his heavily burdened heart sought 
relief in utterance. Overcome by the intensity of his suf- 
ferings he spake unadvisedly, words which can hardly 
be justified. He curseth the day of his birth — wishes he 
had died from the womb ; then would he have been at 
rest, and asked why life is given to the miserable ? Some 
of these strong expressions, stripped of their orientalism, 
and placed in plain Saxon language, would perhaps only 
speak the feelings of many Christians when under strong 
sufferings. Job could not understand the way God was 
leading him, or the design of such affliction. He knew 
not that a great universal truth was in him to be demon- 
strated for the instruction of all the ages ; that true re- 
ligion is NEVER mercenary. He knew of the integrity 
of his heart. He knew that afflictions do not come from 
blind chance, but from the hand of God. How to recon- 
cile, with no more of revelation than he had, these things, 
he knew not. He knew, if he had never been born, or 
had perished from the womb, such suffering could not 
have come. 


28 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


THE ARGUMENTATIVE DIALOGUE. 

That such over-enduring calamities should come upon 
a good man utterly confounded these friends. But when 
they heard the complainings of Job, implying that God 
had acted arbitrarily in sending afflictions upon him, they 
came to the conclusion that Job, so far from being upright 
and holy, as they had supposed, must be a wicked man, 
or a hypocrite. Their view of the divine government, 
in this world, was, that a life of piety is invariably at- 
tended with prosperity ; and that a life of crime, whether 
secret or open, is always attended with suffering, propor- 
tioned to the criminality. They did not understand that 
as fire was necessary to purge and prove the excellent 
character of gold, so the fire of affliction is also necessary 
to demonstrate the unselfish nature of true religion. Had 
they understood this, their estimate of Job would have 
been different. So far from regarding him as a wicked 
hypocrite, suffering for secret sins, they would have 
watched with intense sympathetic interest the process of 
the furnace trial, and would have rejoiced in the result. 

Elijphaz — the Patriarch of Teman, (chaps. 4, 5,) takes 
the lead. After apologizing for speaking, he argues that no 
innocent man can thus suffer. He calls in question Job’ s 
righteousness— reproaches him for his want of religion. 
He asserts that such judgments of God fall only on the 
wicked, and that Job had no cause of complaint, since the 
cause of all his sufferings was in himself. He urges him 
to commit his cause to God, for “ happy is the man whom 
God correcteth ; therefore despise not thou the chastening 
of the Almighty.” 

Job — 6 : and 7 : justifies his complaints as not causeless 
— he longs for death wherein he is assured of comfort — 
he reproveth his friends for their unkind judgment. He 
expresses his willingness to be taught; “ teach me and I 


JOB. 


29 


will liold my tongue, and cause to understand wherein I 
have erred.” He excuses his desire for death, and reiter- 
ates his sore troubles, in which he expresses admirable 
sentiments on the nature and trials of human life, as an 
appointed warfare in which all men are engaged. 

Bildad — Patriarch of Shuah, 8 : vindicates the justice 
of God in his treating men according to their works. He 
appeals to antiquity to prove the certain destruction of 
the hypocrite, and the safety of the righteous. “ Behold, 
God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help 
the evil doer.” 

Job — 9 : and 10 : acknowledges the justice and the sov- 
ereignty of God, and that afflictions equally befall the 
righteous and the wicked, and that a man’ s outward state 
does not determine his true character, and that his inno- 
cence is not to be impugned because of his sufferings. 

Zophar — Patriarch of Naamah, 11: more vehemently 
than the others, severely censures Job’s self -justification. 
“ Should thy lies make men hold their peace, and when 
thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?” He 
urges him to repentance by the temporal benefit he thus 
receives. 

Though the three friends become the accusers of Job, 
they differ considerably in the line of their argument. 

Job — 12 : 13 : and 14 : expresses contempt for their coun- 
sel. “ Ho doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall 
die with you.” He censures their assumptions and their 
arrogance, he re-affirms the sovereignty of God in the ar- 
rangement of his providence, that the obviously wicked 
often prosper in this world ; he appeals from their judg- 
ment to the unerring judgment of God. He pleads for a 
respite, but will be submissive. “ All the days of my ap- 
pointed time will I wait, till my change come.” 

Eliphaz— 15 : charges Job with vanity and impiety. 
“ Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his 
belly with the east wind?” “Thou castest off fear and 


30 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


restraineth prayer before God. For thy month nttereth 
thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty . 5 ’ 
He proves the uneasiness and fear of wicked men, and 
concludes that Job is wicked. 

job— IQ : an a 17 ; reproaches his friends for distressing 
and not comforting him. “Miserable comforters are ye 
all.” Re-asserts his innocence: “Hot for any injustice 
in mine hands ; also my prayer is pure ;” also his confi- 
dence in the ultimate triumph of the righteous: “The 
righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath 
clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.” 

Bildad — 18 : answers Job with severity, charging him 
with pride and arrogance, and dwells upon the calamities 
which come upon the wicked. 

Job — 19 : complains of the cruelty of his friends : “How 
long will ye vex my soul and break me in pieces with 
words 2” confesses that God had overthrown him. He 
re-asserts his confidence that God will vindicate his cause. 
He is comforted by his belief in the resurrection, and a 
future state : “ I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that 
he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.” — 19 : 25. 

Zophar — 20 : replies with great heat. Takes no notice 
of Job’s confidence in God. Shows the portion of the 
wicked, and the accumulating calamities which will come 
of him. 

Job — 21: reasons against the main argument of his 
friends that his sufferings are because of his guilt ; main- 
tains that the wicked are often eminently prosperous in 
this world, and die in peace ; that we cannot form a cor- 
rect judgment from present appearances ; that “the wick- 
ed are reserved to the day of destruction ; they shall be 
brought forth to the day of wrath.” 

Eliphaz — 22 : renews his charge : “Is not thy wicked- 
ness great, thine iniquities infinite?” He specifies the 
sins. He exhorts to repentance with promise of mercy. 

Job— 23 : and 24: longs to bring his cause before God. 


JOB. 


31 


He comforts himself in the omniscience of God. “He 
knoweth the way that I take : when he hath tried me, I 
shall come forth as gold.” 

Bildad — 25 : shows that man cannot be justified before 
God. 

Job — 26 : 27 : 28 : 29 : 30 :'and 31 : taunts Bildad for the 
feebleness of his statement — then appreciates the power 
and majesty of God. He denies the two charges that he 
was ungodly, and that he maintained the impunity of the 
wicked. He fortified his position, that outward worldly 
prosperity is no evidence of piety. He earnestly protests 
his entire innocence of the sins of licentiousness, injustice, 
avarice, and idolatry laid to his charge. He again ap- 
peals to God. 

Elihu — the Patriarch of Buz, a city of Edom ; he was 
young, ardent, sagacious and devout. He listened atten- 
tively to the extended dialogue between Job and his three 
friends. Dissatisfied with the whole argument, he breaks 
in with violence. 4 4 Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu. 5 ’ 
44 Against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified 
himself rather than God.” 44 Against his three friends 
was his wrath kindled, because they had found no an- 
swer, and yet had condemned Job.” Whilst Elihu cen- 
sures Job, still his address is friendly and calculated to 
soothe and comfort. The three friends he strongly rebukes 
for condemning Job as a hypocrite in their ignorance, 
alike of Job’s whole history, and of the movements of 
God’s Providence. He sets. forth the power, wisdom, 
sovereignty, justice and eternity of God. 

In this remarkable speech there is much of noble senti- 
ment, and some of the sublimest views of God and his gov- 
ernment to be found on the sacred page. It is wonderful, 
in that early age, when so little of revelation, indeed of 
any but traditional, existed, he should have such correct 
convictions. Still they did not compass the whole matter 
of Job’s trial. 


82 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


This visit of the three friends, which originated in gen- 
erous sympathy, proved to be perhaps the most vexing 
and irritating strain upon Job’s patience. “It was not 
an enemy that reproached me ; then I could have borne 
it ; neither was it he that hated me that did magnify him- 
self against me ; then I would have hid myself from him ; 
but it was thou, a man, mine equal, my guide, and mine 
acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and 
walked unto the house of God in company.” — Psalm 55 : 
12-14. 


THE DIVINE DECISION. 

Job 38 : 

God, who “makes darkness his secret place, his pavil- 
ion — dark waiters and thick clouds of the sky,” — Ps. 18 : 
11, “ answered J ob out of the whirlwind. ’ ’ He enters into 
no explanation of his conduct. He gives no solution of 
the difficulties which had perplexed both Job and his 
three friends. He does not justify his own proceedings. 
Neither does he explain why, in this world, the wicked 
are often prosperous ; nor why the righteous often sutler. 
The great truth which he impresses is that there ought to 
be entire confidence, because his works so abundantly 
demonstrate him to be infinitely great, wise and good. 
By reference to samples of his natural works he convinces 
Job of his ignorance — that all he can know is the fact, that 
he cannot penetrate to the essence, nor understand the 
laws which, through ages have, with unerring precision, 
governed them. The facts are obvious, but the causes 
are hidden beyond all human penetration. Being thus 
ignorant concerning things of every day occurrences, and 
about which man is constantly occupied, how presump- 
tuous to arraign God’s moral government, and to com- 
plain of his secret counsels and purposes, or the workings 


JOB. 


33 


p> 


of his Providence. “ Shall he that contendeth with the 
Almighty instruct him ? He that reproveth God, let him 
answer it.” 

Then Job, subdued and humbled “ answered the Lord 
and said, behold I am vile ; what shall I answer thee \ 
I will lay my hand upon my mouth, once have I spoken ; 
but I will not answer ; yea, twice ; but I will proceed no 
further.” 

Again from the whirlwind God spake to Job in varied 
illustrations of his power and majesty displayed in his 
judgments. Then Job answered the Lord “I know that 
thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be 
witliliolden from thee. Who is he that hideth counsel 
without knowledge \ therefore have I uttered that I un- 
derstood not ; things too wonderful for me, which I knew 
not.” “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear ; 
but now mine eye seeth thee ; wherefor I abhor myself, 
and repent in dust and ashes.” His confession and hu- 
mility are accepted and his integrity approved. For he 
hath said “ though he slay me, yet will I trust in him.” 

The charge brought against Job by Satan was that his 
religion was mercenary. In this he impugned the funda- 
mental principle of all true piety. God permitted this to 
be put to the severest test, by the removal of everything 
which the accuser supposed would produce a mercenary 
religion. In addition, he allowed of the most loathsome 
and painful of personal sufferings. He permitted also 
his three friends to probe and vex him with their charges 
of hypocrisy and secret sins ; still Job persisted in the 
expression of his fullest confidence that the Judge of all 
the Earth will do right. Thus the unselfishness of his re- 
ligion was made apparent and approved of God. 


[ You may break, you may shatter the vase as you will, 
But the scent of the roses will cling round it still.” 


34 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


THE THREE FRIENDS. 

“The Lord said to Eliphaz, the Temanite, my wrath is 
kindled against thee, and against thy two friends, for ye 
have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my 
servant Job.” He appoints for them a penitential sacri- 
fice, and hnmbles them by making Job, whom they de- 
spised as a sinner above others, their mediator. 6 ‘ There- 
fore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and 
go to my servant J ob, and offer up for yourselves a burnt 
offering ; and my servant Job shall pray for you, for him 
will I accept ; lest I deal with you after your folly, in 
that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, as 
my servant Job hath.” Thus in the most emphatic man- 
ner does God refute all their charges of wickedness 
against Job, and compels them to look up to him with 
confidence and affection as the righteous man, whom God 
had accepted, and whom he had appointed as their inter- 
cessor, because his religion was pure and disinterested. 

“And the Lord turned the captivity of Job when he 
prayed for his friends. Also the Lord gave Job twice as 
much as he had before.” “ So the Lord blessed the lat- 
ter end of Job more than his beginning.” 

“After this lived Job a hundred and forty years, and 
saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, even four generations. 
So Job died, being old and full of years.” 

Thus ended this wonderful and instructive trial. 


“ His soul abhors a mercenary thought, 

And him as deeply who abhors it not, 

He stipulates indeed, but merely this, 

That man will freely take an unbought bliss : 

Will trust him for a faithful generous part, 

Nor set a price upon a willing heart.”— Cowper, Hope. 


job’s latter end* p. 35 









36 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


This same unselfish element, in piety, has been charac- 
teristic of the truly converted in all ages. The noble 
worthies named in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, with 
varying shades of character, makes this fact prominent. 
The sacrifice offered by Abel was such that “the Lord 
had respect unto Abel and his offering. ” It was accept- 
able, that it was in the appointed way, and had reference 
to the One promised to bruise the head of Satan ; and be- 
cause it was unselfish. He worshiped God not through 
fear, but from affection. The inspired testimony is : “ By 
faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than 
Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, 
God testifying of his gifts ; and by it he being dead yet 
speaketh.” 

1 ‘ Enoch walked with God. ’ ’ — Gen. 5 : 22. This implies 
steadfastness of purpose and continuance. It implies 
agreement. “Can two walk together, except they be 
agreed?” — Amos 3 : 3. This agreement is in the things 
pleasing to God. “ Walking with God,” is keeping step 
with the divine commands. Hence the comment: “By 
faith Enoch was translated, that he should not see death — 
for before his translation he had this testimony, that he 
pleased God.” — Heb. 11 : 5. 

Abraham, as will be seen by consulting the article on 
him, in this volume, manifested through his eventful 
trials, supreme devotion to and unwavering confidence in 
God. He promptly and cheerfully gave up present com- 
forts, in obedience to the divine command. 

Joseph, in all his career of sufferings and shame, 
brought on him by the wickedness of others, was unyield- 
ing in his fidelity to God. When sorely tempted, said : 
“How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against 
God?” “And the Lord was with Joseph.” — Gen. 39 : 2, 
9. Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s 
daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the 
people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a 


JOB. 


37 


season. — Heb. 11 : 24, 25. To these may be added ‘ ‘ David, 
Samuel, the prophets, and others, who had cruel Block- 
ings, and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and im- 
prisonments — of whom the world was not worthy.” 

The Apostles and early Christians did not serve God 
for worldly benefits through persecutions, unto martyr- 
dom ; they were faithful, and “ took joyfully the spoiling 
of their goods, knowing that they had in heaven a better 
and an enduring substance.” — Heb. 10 : 34. How beauti- 
fully the disinterested spirit of Stephen shone forth in 
his martyrdom : u And they stoned Stephen, calling up- 
on God, and saying, Lord Jesus receive my spirit. And 
he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay 
not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this 
he fell asleep.” — Acts 7 : 59, 60. 

“Asleep in Jesus! blessed sleep! 

From which none ever wakes to weep; 

A calm and undisturbed repose, 

Unbroken by the last of foes. 

Asleep in Jesus! peaceful rest! 

Where waking is supremely blest ; 

No fear, no woes, shall dim the hour 
That manifests the Saviour’s power. 

Asleep in Jesus! far from thee 
Thy kindred and their graves may be ; 

But thine is still a blessed sleep, 

From which none ever wakes to weep.” 

Mbs. M. Mackay. 

Paul said : “ Yea doubtless, and I count all things but 
loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus 
my Lord ; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, 
and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.” — 
Phil. 3 : 8. 

This is the vitalizing spirit which discriminates the re- 
ligion of the Bible from all other religions. The mission 


38 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


of Christ to this world was unselfish and benevolent; 
hence we are commanded: “Let this mind be in you 
which was also in Christ Jesus,’ ’ — Phil. 2 : 5, “for even 
hereunto were ye called, because Christ also suffered for 
us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his 
steps.” — 1 Pet. 2 : 21. A man who lives only for himself 
and his family may be rich, honored and courted — may 
have a place in the visible Church of Christ, but he lacks 
the essential element of true and accepted piety. 

A live, personal and malignant devil appears as a prom- 
inent actor in the trials of Job. From the Scriptures, and 
perhaps from personal experience, we know that he has 
not gone into annihilation, but is still the tempter. His 
eye, through his devoted adherents, is upon every one. 
Through his devices he rapidly develops the characters 
of wicked men. “ Some men’s sins are open beforehand, 
going to judgment, and some men they follow after.” — 
1 Tim. 5 : 24. If he hesitated not to assault the blessed 
Saviour, surely every Christian has reason to be on his 
guard, lest he be deceived, and Satan should get an ad- 
vantage. “The Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan 
hath desired to have you, that he sift you as wheat. But 
I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” — Luke 
22 : 31, 32. The Apostle admonishes the Ephesian saints : 
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able 
to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle 
not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, 
against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this 
world, against spiritual wickedness (margin, wicked 
spirits) in high places.” So great is the peril, and so ur- 
gent the case for unceasing vigilance, and resolution, that 
Paul reiterates the admonition : “ Wherefore take unto 
you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to 
withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. 
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, 
and having on the breast-plate of righteousness ; and 


JOB. 


39 


your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace. 
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall 
be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And 
take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, 
which is the word of God.” To this divine armour he 
adds : “ praying always with all prayer and supplication 
in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all persever- 
ence.” — Epli. 6 : 11-18. Peter also exhorts: “be sober, 
be vigilant ; because your adversary, the devil, as a roar- 
ing lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 
—1 Pet. 5 : 8. 

There is no ground of discouragement even to the weak- 
est saint, since the devil has not unlimited power. He 
can only go as far as the divine wisdom permits. He is 
held by a chain which he cannot break. Hot only is it 
true for all believers : “ my grace is sufficient for you :” 
but specific cheer comes from the divine word. “There 
hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to 
man ; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be 
tempted above that ye are able ; but will with the tempta- 
tion also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to 
bear it.” — 1 Cor. 10 : 13. “ Thou, which hast showed me 

great and sore troubles, slialt quicken me again, and shalt 
bring me up again from the depths of the earth.” — Ps. 
71 : 20. “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou 
wilt revive me ; thou shalt stretch forth thine hand 
against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand 
shall save me.” — Ps. 138 : 7. “The Lord knoweth how 
to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve 
the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished.” — 
2 Peter 2:9. “We have not a High Priest which can- 
not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities ; but 
was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” — 
Heb. 4 : 15. “For in that he himself hath suffered, be- 
ing tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.” — 
Heb. 2 : 18. “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall 


40 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying 
of your faith worketh patience.” — Jas. 1 : 2. Never 
should the child of God forget, especially in the time of 
heaviest trial, that we are “kept by the power of God 
through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the 
last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for 
a season (if needs be) ye are in heaviness through mani- 
fold temptations, that the trial of your faith, being much 
more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be 
tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor 
and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.” — 1 Pet. 1 : 
5-7. 

Had the devil been charitable he would have looked 
upon the piety and prosperity of Job with grateful joy. 
But having an envious and evil eye, and judging Job by 
his own selfishness, he insinuated a vile motive as the 
base of his piety. “Doth Job fear God for naught?” 
This aspersion upon the character was the out- workings 
of an evil spirit, and is the parent of all uncharitableness. 

Those who call in question the disinterestedness of true 
religion, and who charge upon Christians eminent for 
piety, either direct hypocrisy or an assumption of re- 
ligious eminence, only use the language and arguments 
of Satan, who is known as the adversary, the accuser of 
the brethren, and the father of lies. Of those who mani- 
fested a similar spirit, Christ said : “ Ye are of your father 
the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do.” 
“When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own ; for 
he is a liar, and the father of it.” — Jno. 8 : 44. Here is 
made bare the origin and the unloveliness, to use the mild- 
est word, of uncharitableness. The disposition to find 
fault — to put an evil, if not the worst construction upon 
the conduct of others, to surmise, to insinuate, to dispar- 
age, where there is no positive proof of wrong, is the evi- 
dence of an uncharitable spirit. Christians especially 
should set a double guard upon their lips, lest by unkind 


JOB. 


41 


words, they fall into the snare of the devil. It was thns 
the three friends of Job not only did great injustice to the 
patriarch, but kindled the wrath of God against them. 

In all the trial the humility of Job was manifested and 
approved of God. Whilst repelling the unjust charges 
of his friends he never bore himself proudly. He said 
“if I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me. 
If I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.” — 
Job 9 : 20. “ Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer 

thee V 5 — Job 40: 4. “ Wherefore I abhor myself, and 
repent in dust and ashes.” — Job 42 : 6. The more up- 
right and conscientious we are the keener is our sense of 
the evil of sin ; and the more we have of filial fear the 
more we shall hate sin and the more ready we shall be to 
confess our vileness and to take a low place before God. 
Knowing the evil of our own hearts better than we can 
know the hearts of others, we are the more charitable in 
our judging of others. As we advance in holiness we 
certainly shall increase in humility, and this will keep 
us from uncharitable judging of others. The more we 
see ourselves, in the searching spirituality of the divine 
law, the less confidence shall we have in ourselves and 
the more shall We feel our constant need of the grace of 
God to keep ns. Whilst with Job we “abhor ourselves ” 
with him, also we know that “our Redeemer liveth,” — 
that “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all 
sin,” — that “he is the propitiation for our sins,” and that 
“neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor 
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able 
to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ 
Jesus our Lord.” — Rom. 8 : 88, 39. “Therefore, my be- 
loved brethren, be ye steadfast, nnmovable, always 
abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye 
know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” — 1 Cor. , 
15 : 58. 


42 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


The more simple and trustful our confidence in the 
moral government of God, the less shall we be grieved at 
the present prosperity of the wicked, and the afflictions 
of the righteous. W e shall feel that 4 4 God is the strength 
of our heart, and our portion forever.” With God as 
our chosen portion, and with Christ as our Saviour, we 
shall love and serve him for what he is and not for what 
earthly prosperity he bestows . We shall love and serve 
him through evil report, through poverty, through sick- 
ness, through sufferings, through manifold temptations. 
Though all earthly things should fail, yet “ I will rejoice 
in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation.” — 
Heb. 3 : 18. “ Whom have I in heaven but Thee.” — Ps. 

73 : 35. “ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” 

—Phil. 1 : 21. 


True Religion is not Mercenary, 
it is eminently disinterested. 


God is a spirit ; and they that worship him 

Must worship him in spirit and in truth. — John 4 : 24 . 


ABRAHAM. 


Faith Triumphant. 


ABRAHAM. 


FAITH TRIUMPHANT. 


The names of Scripture characters are oftentimes pro- 
phetically significant. Abraham was first called Abram, 
which means “exalted father,” or “father of elevation.” 
Afterwards, by divine direction, it was changed to Abra- 
ham, “father of a multitude,” or “father of many na- 
tions.” He stands out more prominently than any other 
person, in all the Jewish history, from its beginning to 
the present time. According to the Scriptural record, 
which is the only authentic testimony, he is recognized as 
the progenitor of the Hebrew nation. 6 ‘ Therefore sprang 
there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as 
the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which 
is by the seashore innumerable.” — Heb. 11 : 12. Mat- 
thew, in tracing the Jewish origin of Jesus of Nazareth, 
passes up from son to sire, until he reaches Abraham, 
the first of the Hebrew nation, from whom all the count- 
less myriads have descended. To this day, the Jew, in 
every land and under all circumstances of prosperity or 
adversity, prides himself as being a son of Abraham. 

The descendants of Abraham are the Israelites, through 
Isaac and Jacob ; the Arabs, through Ishmael, and “The 
Children of the East,” of whom the Midianites and the 
Hagarites were chief. 

So prominent was Abraham that the Apostle Paul does 
not hesitate to place him in the honorable and prominent 

p. 44 


ABHAHAM. 


45 


position as the father of the faithful in all the history of 
the Church. “ That he might be the father of all them 
that believe.” — Rom. 4 : 11. “Know ye, therefore, that 
they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abra- 
ham.” u So then they which be of faith are blessed with 
faithful Abraham.” — Gal. 8 : 7, 9. 

In still higher conspicuity and approbation is the esti- 
mate of the Apostle James, 2: 23: “And he was called 
the friend of God.” Twice in the Old Testament is he 
thus styled: “The seed of Abraham, thy friend.” — 2 
Chron. 20 : 7, and Isa. 41 : 8. This indicated that he was 
always true and faithful to God. That, in all the con- 
ditions of life, he was so steadfast and unmovable to duty 
and confidence, that God looked upon him as a friend. 


WHO WAS ABEAM? 

This question comes naturally to the front. It is an- 
swered by the inspired historian : that he was the son of 
Terah, a descendant of Shem. Though first named of the 
three sons of Terah, he was most probably the youngest. 
He was born in Ur, a city of Chaldea, 1996 years B. C. 
Nothing is said of him prior to the age of sixty. From 
the statement of Joshua, 24 : 2 : “ Even Terah, the father 
of Abraham, and the father of Nachor : and they served 
other gods,” it is evident that Abram, in his early days, 
was an idolater. From Ur, the whole family removed to 
Hasan, in the New Testament called Charan, a city in the 
northwest part of Mesopotamia. Here Abram lived about 
fifteen years, when his father Terah died. 


TEIALS COMMENCED. 

Abram being now seventy-five years old, God began a 
most wonderful system of discipline with him. He thus 


46 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


dealt with, him, because he was to be the representative 
man, in all the coming time of the way in which God 
trains his servants into invincible trust or confidence in 
himself ; thus fitting them for their higher and more re- 
sponsible service in another future world. 



In Abram he designed to illustrate the nature of his 
government over free agents whilst in a state of trial. 


ABEAIIAM. 


47 


The material universe being inert and unintelligent, is 
controlled by laws which are unvarying and which we 
denominate by the single word force. These laws regu- 
late the movements of all the suns and their revolving 
planets in the boundless regions of space. They hold 
every particle of matter to its peculiarity. In all the 
vast and seemingly complicated organizations in the ma- 
terial universe there is no choice. They have no freedom 
to anything but what they were when created. The sov- 
ereign will which gave matter its laws has never changed. 
Gravitation, fire and water are the same always and 
everywhere. Men, to some extent, subordinate and make 
these laws, because of their unchangeableness, subservient 
to their convenience and profit ; but they cannot alter an 
iota of any one of the laws which bind and determine 
every form of matter. The government which God exer- 
cises over intelligent accountable beings is radically differ- 
ent. It is not that of force, but of motive. It appeals to 
love and fear, the two great incentives to action. To the 
love of happiness, and the fear of suffering. To the love 
of right, and the fear of wrong. This government by mo- 
tive, is called a moral government, as under it are placed 
all accountable beings. The laws which operate here are 
as fixed and unchangeable as are the laws of the material 
worlds. Their unalterable permanence is indispensable 
for the conduct and happiness of intelligent beings. Men 
do not labor to change the laws of matter, but, confident of 
their unchangeableness, they accommodate themselves to 
them. The laws in the moral world being unchangeable, 
holy, just and good, and admirably adapted to man in 
all his relations to his Creator and his fellow beings ; the 
course of wisdom and happiness is to conform the con- 
duct to these laws. 

So far as the power of motive is concerned, God has 
surrounded all his intelligent, accountable creatures with 
a hundred motives for obedience, against one that pleads 


48 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


for disobedience. How great the preponderance to do 
right ! How small comparatively the inducement to do 
wrong. He has presented the strongest possible motive 
that God himself could conceive — eternal happiness for 
obedience, and eternal suffering for disobedience. 

The government under which Abram was placed was 
the same which binds all intelligent accountable creatures. 
It is that of truth and motive. The mind is free and in- 
capable of coercion. It can only be moved by truth, by 
argument, by motive. That which gives peculiarity and 
distinction to the divine government of man in this world, 
is that every man is in a state of trial — a process of pro- 
bation ; a preparation for a fixed and eternal state. 
Obedience will develop, strengthen, and enoble his char- 
acter, and thus secure fixed and imperishable confidence 
in God. 

With these principles understood we shall the more 
perfectly comprehend the dealings of God with Abram, 
and admire the divine wisdom and benevolence. Hot 
alone in the benefit to Abraham ; but in him, and through 
him, to cheer and comfort, in all the ages, the loved ones, 
whom he is disciplining and purifying, may be by fire, 
for the better inheritance. 

FIRST TRIAL. 

When Abram was seventy-five years old, he received 
the command, ‘ c Get thee out of thy country, and from thy 
kindred, and from thy father’ s house, unto a land that I 
will show thee.” — Gen. 12 : 1. Here was a strain upon 
his natural affections, a strain upon his love of home, a 
separation from friendship and endearments, a giving up 
present comforts and the respect of his fellow citizens. 
During his abode in Haran he had acquired property and 
social eminence. In this command there is neither name 
given to the country whither he was to be led, nor the 


ABRAHAM. 


49 


direction in which to travel, nor the distance to be passed 
over. How different this from the condition of the emi- 
grant of the present day. He knows all the disadvantages 
of his home land ; and has learned much of the country 
to which he goes. The method of travel, the distance, 
the language spoken and all the appliances are under- 
stood. He goes of his own choice, and not at the com- 
mand of another. But to Abram, knowing nothing of 
the country, the inhabitants and the language, he has no 
choice but that of obedience or disobedience. Obedience 
expressed such confidence in God as to sacrifice things 
present for the promised future. God accompanied the 
command with the promise : “ And I will make of thee 
a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name 
great ; and thou shalt be a blessing.” Hope, in the gov- 
ernment of God, is an element of great power. It is al- 
ways germain to the command and is full of persuasive 
influence. It enlivens and begets courage when the dark- 
ness shuts down and the way is wearisome. It gives 
cheerful promptness to obedience. ‘ 4 So Abram departed, 
as the Lord had spoken unto him * * and took Sarai 
his wife, and Lot, his brother’ s son, and all their substance 
that they had gathered, and the souls that they had got- 
ten in Haran ; and they went forth to go into the land of 
Canaan.” — Gen. 12 : 4, 5. 

The Scripture account does not inform us how long be- 
fore the seventy-fifth year of Abram, he had abandoned 
idolatry and become a worshiper of the true God. 
Whether his conversion was when at seventy-five or ear- 
lier we cannot tell ; but this we know, that when the com- 
mand came to leave Haran, he was a true worshiper and 
thoroughly in sympathy with the divine will. Entire 
cheerful submission to the divine will is the most unques- 
tionable evidence of genuine conversion. 


3 


50 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 



IN CANAAN. 

“And into the land of Canaan they came.” No inti- 
mation is yet given that this is the promised land. Abram 
is still only a wayfarer. “And Abram passed through 
the land unto the place of Sichem, (now called Nablus,) 
unto the plain of Moreh.” Moreh means “appearance 
of Jehovah,” and was so named probably because of the 
historical fact which occurred there. “ And the Lord ap- 
peared unto Abram, and said, unto thy seed will I give 
this land.” This is the first occasion of which we have 
any notice of the Lord’s appearance. We read of the 
“presence of the Lord,” and “the voice of the Lord,” 
but not of his appearance to any man until he “appeared 
unto Abram.” 


SEES THE PROMISED LAND. 

Now the eye of Abram rested on the land promised, 


ABRAHAM. 


51 


but with a peculiarity in the promise, “unto thy seed,” 
leaving in doubt the question of personal possession in 
his day. For the record is, “and the Canaanite was in 
the land.” This was a force too formidable for Abram 
to think of ejecting with his then adherents. Here occurs 
the first recorded religious service of this pilgrim — “And 
there builded he an altar unto the Lord who appeared 
unto him.” This was an act of homage which recognized 
the rightful claim of the true God, and of devotion to his 
service. The strong probability is that this altar was 
built for sacrifice ; as, from Abel onward, such offerings 
were acceptable, and on the present occasion peculiarly 
appropriate in remembrance of the divine appearance and 
the designation of the land of promise. 

This wayfarer abides not in the plain of Moreh, but 
moves onward further into the land of Canaan, until he 
reached “a mountain on the east of Bethel,” and there 
‘ 4 pitched his tent. 5 ’ Here again he worships, ‘ 4 and there 
he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the 
name of the Lord.” His religious character comes out 
stronger and stronger. 4 4 We are now made acquainted 
with Abram as an exalted father , lifted up into fellow- 
ship with Jehovah, whom it pleases in this man to elect 
a race, that shall witness for his name in the world.” 

He continued his journeyings south until he entered 
Egypt, where he tarried for a while. On his return from 
Egypt he came again to Bethel, which means “the house 
of God,” and here, at “the place of the altar, which he 
had made at first, he called on the name of the Lord.” It 
was here that the promise of the land was renewed with 
most encouraging details. “ Lift up now thine eyes, and 
look from the place where thou art, northward and south- 
ward, and eastward and westward, for all the land which 
thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. 
I will make thy seed as the the dust of the earth. Arise, 
walk through the land, in the length and in the breadth 


52 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


of it, for I will give it unto thee.” This is assurance 
made doubly sure. 

Thus commissioned personally to survey the land which 
was to be the abode of his posterity, “ Abram removed 
his tent and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which 
is in Hebron.” A glimpse at the map of Palestine will 
show that Hebron lies far to the north, whilst Bethel was 
far south, so this pilgrim stranger personally passed 
through a very large portion of the promised land. Here 
also in Hebron “ he built an altar unto the Lord.” Thus 
was the whole land consecrated by appropriate acts of 
worship, recognizing the title deed as from the Lord. 

But more, far more than this was done. “The Lord 
came unto Abram in a vision, saying, fear not, Abram : I am 
thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” To this as- 
surance Abram, in his short-sightedness replied, “What 
wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward 
of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus ?” Behold, to 
me thou hast given no seed ; and lo, one born in my house 
is mine heir.” The word of the Lord came unto him, 
saying, ‘‘this shall not be thine heir; but he that shall 
come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.” 
This is specific and settles the fact of the line of heirship ; 
but leaves the time and manner in impenetrable darkness, 
and therefore a proper topic of faith or confidence in the 
promise. Again is he told to look toward heaven, and 
tell the stars and number them if he can, for so shall thy 
seed be. “And he believed in the Lord; and He (the 
Lord) counted it to him for righteousness.” 

A strange interpretation of this promise of an heir was 
made by Sarah, who, seemingly entered heartily into the 
promised greatness of her husband. As it was from his 
bowels or loins that the heir should proceed, and recog- 
nizing her own age, she undertook the fulfillment by 
means of her maid Hagar. To this Abram yielded, sup- 
posing, under the circumstances, that tliis was the way. 


ABRAHAM. 


53 


But as God had not indicated this way, he was not justi- 
fied in this conduct. It became the bitter fruit in after 
years, both to Sarah and to Abram. 



AS STARS OF HEAVEN. 

THE COVENANT. 

“ And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the 
Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the 
Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. 
And I will make my covenant between thee and me, and 
will multiply thee exceedingly.” u An everlasting cove- 
nant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” 
“ And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin ; and 
it shall be a token between me and you.” “ Every man 
child among you shall be circumcised.” 

•In connection with this covenant, fully stated in Gene- 
sis, 17th chapter, follows the definite announcement of the 



54 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


heir. On this occasion also the name of Abram was 
changed to Abraham, “ father of many nations;” and 
that of Sarai. “And God said nnto Abraham, as for 
Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her Sarai, but Sarah 
shall her name be. And I will bless her, and give thee a 
son also of her ; yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a 
mother of nations ; kings of people shall be of her. ” Joy 
so bounded in the heart of Abraham that he “fell upon 
his face and laughed, and said in his heart, shall a child 
be born unto him that is an hundred years old, and shall 
Sarah that is ninety years old bear?” Did this stagger 
him ? Or did he ponder it amazed, but not unbelieving, 
at the greatness of the condescension and kindness of 
God? As thoughts of the heart are words spoken in 
Heaven, the Lord said, “ Sarah thy wife shall bear thee 
a son indeed, and thou shalt name him Isaac ; and I will 
establish my covenant with him for an everlasting cove- 
nant, and with his seed after him.” “My covenant will 
I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee 
at this set time in the next year ” This is the most defi- 
nite of all the promises, as it states how the heir shall 
come, the exact time of his appearing, the name by which 
he shall be called, and that the covenant shall be sure to 
him and his posterity. 


SECOND TRIAL. 

The promises of God to Abram, which were repeated 
seven times, extended over a period of about seventy-five 
years. We have seen how general was the first and how 
gradually the others acquired precision and definiteness. 
To continue for so long a time in suspense was, to human 
nature, a sore trial. “Hope deferred maketh the heart 
sick,” says the proverb. Yet of Abraham the Apostle 
has written, “ Who against hope believed in hope, that 


ABRAHAM. 


55 


lie might become the father of many nations, according 
to that which was spoken, so shall thy seed be. And be- 
ing not weak in faith, he considered not his own body, 
now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, nei- 
ther yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He staggered 
not at the promise of Giod through unbelief, but was strong 
in faith, giving glory to God ; and being fully persuaded 
that what he had promised he was able also to perform.” 
— Horn. 4 : 18-21. That he staggered not is the clear evi- 
dence, not simply of the strength of his faith, but also 
and pre-eminently of the intensity of the trial. Cheered 
by this promise, hope is stimulated and expectation is 
excited, but there is no fruition. There is delay for 
months, for years, for near a whole life time. The ser- 
pent who tempted both Eve and Adam to doubt, then to 
disbelieve God’ s word, did up his work with little delay. 
He doubtless was busy with Abram, and plied him with 
doubts year in and year out ; still when all was dark, and 
Abram could see no possible way for the fulfillment of 
the promises, as old age crept upon him with its deaden- 
ing power, and threw more seemingly insurmountable 
obstacles in the way, his hope was not dimmed, his faith 
staggered not. Though of a long time he waited, he still 
trusted in the truthfulness of God. The longer he waited 
the greater was the strain, but the stronger was his faith. 

Revert to these seven times repeated promises, and 
gather fresh convictions of the severity of this trial whilst 
waiting for their fulfilling. 

The first was made whilst he was in Mesopotamia — Gen. 
12 : 1-3, which was to leave his country and kindred and 
go to an unknown land, with the promise that he should 
become great ; this was a personal blessing. 

The second was made at Sichem, in Canaan, with the 
promise : 4 4 Unto thy seed will I give this land. — Gen. 12 : 7. 

The third was given at Bethel ; the promise was : 4 4 All 
the land will I give thee, and a numberless seed forever.” 
Gen. 13 : 14-17. 


56 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


The fourth was given at Mamre, where a personal heir 
is promised. — Gen. 15 : 1. 

The fifth was given at Hebron, where he and his wife’s 
name are changed, and the covenant is established for the 
seed, and the land and the promised heir is named. — Gen. 
17 : 1-22. The sixth extends the blessings through Abra- 
ham to all nations. — Gen. 18 : 17-19. The seventh sums 
up and confirms them with an oath. — Gen. 22 : 15-18. 
From the first to the last, long and wearisome years moved 
on. The record of the fulfillment is by the pen of the 
Apostle. “ Therefore sprang there even of one, and him 
as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in mul- 
titude and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumer- 
able. These all died in faith, not having (in their full- 
ness) received the promises, but having seen them afar 
off, were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and 
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the 
earth.”— Heb. 11 : 12, 13. 


THIRD TRIAL. 

The promise, that a child should be born to parents at 
the advanced age of Abraham and Sarah seemed to them 
not only improbable, but actually impossible. It was a 
great trial of faith or confidence in the promises. To 
animate the hope, and to maintain truthful confidence, re- 
quired the strongest assurances. This God did not with- 
hold from his servant. Hence we read that, when Abraham 
4 4 sat in the tent door in the heat of the day,” “lo three 
men stood by him,” strangers though they were, he hos- 
pitally entertained them. 4 4 They said unto him, where 
is Sarah thy wife? And he said, behold, in the tent. 
And he (the stranger) said, I will certainly return unto 
thee according to the time of life ; and lo, Sarah, thy wife, 
shall have a son.” Had the promise been to-day she 


ABRAHAM. 


57 


shall have a son, Sarah would have understood the mira- 
cle. But knowing that both herself and husband were 
“ well stricken in years,” and that it ceased to be with 
her ‘ ‘ after the manner of women 5 she laughed the laugh 
of incongruity. “The Lord said unto Abraham, where- 
fore did Sarah laugh \ Is anything too hard for the Lord \ 
At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according 
to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.” This is 
the last assurance. A few months would test the promise. 
The Apostle refers to this scene with the injunction, “Be 
not forgetful to entertain strangers : for thereby some 
have entertained angels unawares.” — Heb. 13 : 2. 


THE HEIR BORN. 

The time is up, “ And the Lord visited Sarah, as he had 
said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For 
Sarah conceived and bare Abraham a son in his old age, 
at the set time of which God had spoken to him. And 
Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto 
him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac. Sarah laughs 
again, but now it is a laugh of grateful joy. ‘ ‘ And Sarah 
said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear me 
will laugh with me.” The child grew; and when the 
time for weaning came Abraham made a great feast. It 
was the feast of joy and thanksgiving. The first great 
essential of the promises was fulfilled in Isaac the heir. 
It pointed onward to the certain filling up to the full of 
all the promises ; of a posterity numberless as the stars 
of heaven and the sands upon the sea shore ; a posterity 
out of which should come One, in whom “all the nations 
of the earth shall be blessed.” “Now to Abraham and his 
seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds 
as many ; but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ.” 
—Gal. 3 : 16. The evangelist, Matthew, beginning with 

8 


58 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Abraham, traces down his posterity through forty-two 
generations till he reaches Christ. 


THE SACRIFICE. 

For many years this Patriarch, who waited for the 
promised heir, was permitted, undisturbed, to enjoy this 
child of his old age. He doubtless watched, with in- 
creasing happiness, the childhood and the youth of Isaac, 
and had growing confidence of heart in the truthfulness 
of God every time his eye fell upon him. But a new and 
more fearful trial of the faith of Abraham was demanded. 
It is written “ that God did tempt Abraham.’’ The true 
meaning of the word rendered “ tempt” is, to try, or put 
to the proof. It does not necessarily imply an evil in- 
tention. When, therefore, it is said, “God did tempt 
Abraham,” it obviously means that God put his faith and 
obedience to the proof or trial. The character of the 
temptation is always determined by the character of the 
being who brings the trial. God, being holy and benevo- 
lent, tried his creatures, not to seduce them from virtue, 
but to prove them. Therefore, it is written, “let no man 
say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God : for God 
cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any 
man : but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away 
of bis own lust, and enticed.” — Jas. 1 : 13, 14. Here the 
word is used in its bad sense, meaning to seduce to sin, 
and not in the sense of a trial or proof of character. Satan, 
being unholy and malignant, tempts men with an evil 
purpose and design. The following words of Moses de- 
termine the proper meaning of the word when applied to 
God, “And thou shalt remember all the way which the 
Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, 
to humble thee, and to prove thee to know what was in thine 
heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments or 


ABRAHAM. 


59 


no.” — Deut. 8:2. It is in this sense “ that God did tempt 
Abraham,” when he said, “ take now thy son, thine only 
son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of 
Moriah : and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of 
the mountains which I will tell thee of. ’ ’ This, coming as a 
command, must have roused up all that was excitable in 
his nature, and must have filled his heart with the keenest 
anguish. It, in a moment, dashed all his fondly cherish- 
ed hopes. It settled down upon all his bright visions of 
the future^ the thickest darkness. Well might he ask 
of himself what does it mean ? As the Creator, Isaac be- 
longs to him. He, and only he, has the right to take 
away his life in whatever way he chooses, and by such an 
agency as he may appoint. I, too, am his creature, and 
bound to obey his commands. But what does this mean ? 
The life of Isaac, as the promised heir, is essential to the 
fulfilling of the promises, so often repeated, and finally 
confirmed by an oath. Will God, who has given me this 
son, as the beginning of the fulfillment, now fall back 
from his promise and prove untruthful ? This cannot be. 
Here is mystery, deeper and more impenetrable than all 
the past mystery that has shrouded my pilgrimage. 
“ Yerily thou art a God that hideth thyself.” “ Clouds 
and darkness are round about thee.” I cannot under- 
stand it. N either did I understand the way in which God 
has led me up to this hour, but at the right time he made 
it plain. He will do so now. He perfectly understands 
his own plan. He seeth the end from the beginning. 
Though “clouds and darkness are round about him” 
still I know that “righteousness and judgment are the 
habitation, (the very foundation,) of his throne. I have 
only to obey cheerfully, submissive to his will. “Shall 
not the judge of all the earth do right V 9 

“ How long he meditated and had great thoughts stir- 
ring within him — how long the conflict between affection 
and duty lasted we have no record, but we have the record 


60 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


that “Abraham rose up early in the morning,” perad- 
venture the next, “ and saddled his ass, and took two of 
his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the 
wood for the burnt offering, and rose np and went unto 
the place of which God had told him.” Mournful but 
submissive journey. Parental affection pleading with its 
strongest yearnings, and obedience firm and resolute. 
For two days he went on this sorrowful j ourney . ‘ ‘ Then, 

on the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the 
place afar off.” Every nerve trembled with emotion ; the 
blood ran cold in his veins; tears welled up and overflowed ; 
anguish gathered its strength in his heart. An involun- 
tary pause in the journey. Shall I give it all up and go 
back, and take matters into my own hands, and save my 
son — my only child — and thus secure the promised pos- 
terity ? or shall I go on obedient to the command, trust- 
ing in the Lord that he will truthfully work out all his 
promises? It is decided: “And Abraham said unto his 
young men, abide ye here with the ass ; and I and the lad 
will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.” 

There are sorrows too intense for strangers to look on. 
“The heart knoweth its own bitterness.” There are 
duties — acts of obedience — which only the eye of God 
must witness ; for only he can understand their motives 
and their value. “And Abraham took the wood of the 
burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son ; and he took 
the fire in his hand, and a knife ; and they went both of 
them together.” God, in the record, has thrown a veil 
over this last stage of the journey. We only learn that, 
as they ascended to the top of the designated elevation 
of Moriah, Isaac, in his simplicity, having no intimations 
of what the offering should be, said: “behold the fire 
and the wood : but where is the lamb for the burnt offer- 
ing ?” This question, so artless, and so void of suspicion, 
must have touched the very center of the parental heart. 
He knew what was just before him. Though wild fires 



p. 61 . 


ABIiAIIAM AND ISAAC 






62 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


burned within him, he was calm, resigned, and resolute 
to obey. “ And Abraham said, my son, God will provide 
himself a lamb for a burnt offering : so they went both of 
them together.’ ’ It may seem strange that, up to this 
late hour, Abraham had said nothing to Isaac that God 
had commanded him to offer this only son in sacrifice. 
It may be it was kindness to Isaac, whom he knew to be a 
pious, dutiful son. A son who, satisfied of the divine 
command, would promptly yield himself to the requisi- 
tion. 

“ And they came to the place which God had told him 
of ; and Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood 
in order.” The critical moment had come, and the father 
tells his son, his only son, so well beloved, that in obedi- 
ence to the divine command he had brought him here, and 
that in further obedience it was his duty to offer him as 
the sacrifice. What were the emotions or the response 
of Isaac we are not told. We know that, with filial 
obedience, and with resigned obedience to the expressed 
will of God, he yielded himself. And Abraham “bound 
Isaac, his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.” 
Then, with a tender, but prayerful heart, “Abraham 
stretched forth his hand and took the knife to slay his 
son.” At this “supreme moment,” when the act of 
obedience was perfected in the purpose of Abraham, “ the 
Angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, lay not 
thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto 
him : for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing that 
thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me.” 
What a moment of intensity ; mournful obedience gives 
place to uxultant gratitude and joy. Bright light chases 
away all the dark clouds. The promises are all sure. 
Obedience is better than sacrifice. 6 ‘ And Abraham lifted 
up his eyes and looked, and behold behind him a ram 
caught in a thicket by his horns : and Abraham went and 
took the ram, and offered him for a burnt offering in the 


ABRAHAM. 


63 


stead of Ms son.” Memorable occasion, and memorable 
shall be the place. ‘ ‘ And Abraham called the name of that 
place Jehovah- Jireh, as it is said to this day, in the 
Mount of the Lord it shall be seen. ” “ J eho v ah- Jireh, ’ ’ 

“ the Lord will provide,” boldly stands as the monument 
of love and mercy, to cheer and support the tempted and 
the troubled through all the ages. 



eam’b head. 


“And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out 
of heaven the second time, and said, by myself have I 
sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this 
thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son : 
that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying, I 
will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven, and as the 
sand upon the sea shore ; and thy seed shall possess the 
gate of his enemies. And in thy seed shall all the nations 
of the earth be blessed ; because thou hast obeyed my 
voice.” Full confirmation of all that had been promised. 


64 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


The trial is ended and faith is triumphant. This 
triumph of faith the Apostle has chronicled with intense 
approbation. “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, 
offered up Isaac : and he that received the promises offer- 
ed up his only son, of whom it was said, that in Isaac 
shall thy seed be called : accounting that God was able to 
raise him up, even from the dead ; from whence also he 
received him in figure.” ■ — Heb. 11 : 17-19. 

“ So Abraham returned (with joyful haste) to his young 
men, and they rose up and went together to Beer -sheba ; 
and Abram dwelt in Beer-sheba.” His subsequent life 
was peaceful, prosperous and honored. His character is 
beautifully sketched in the chapters of Genesis we have 
reviewed. He is free, simple, manly, cheerful, hospitable, 
affectionate. He is a man of wealth and high station. 
The finest illustration of the patriarch, the priest and the 
king ; yet always, though roughly, religious, subordinat- 
ing everything in obedience to the divine will ; obedience, 
cheerful, and without hesitation or delay. His faith, his 
trustful confidence in God was unwavering. The whole 
discipline of providence with him was designed and suc- 
cessful in forming his noble character : that as a represen- 
tative man he might be for an encouragement to all the 
servants of God. 

The design of all probation is to produce, and perma- 
nently to secure unconquerable confidence in God, and 
in all the movements of his providential government. It 
is thus that his people may be prepared for their richer 
experiences and nobler service in the future world. As 
God is infinitely above all created comprehension, it is 
reasonable to suppose that many of the measures of his 
government will transcend the scrutiny of every eye but 
his own. New worlds may arise, sustaining new rela- 
tions, and calling forth devices of unfathomable wisdom, 
as strange, to us, as was to the angels the first announce- 
ment of the scheme of redemption. As the countless ages 


ABRAHAM. 


65 


of eternity shall roll on, God will doubtless reveal his 
glories in an everlasting series of acts, some perhaps far 
more wonderful and mysterious than any that have yet 
transpired. Now he who would be prepared to witness 
with an unblenching eye, and an adoring heart, the burst - 
ings forth of one illustrious purpose after another, of an 
unsearchable God, must first be so schooled that no trace 
of distrust or unbelief shall remain. The religion then, 
by which sinful men shall be fitted to stand in the presence 
of the Great Eternal, must embrace pre-eminently the ele- 
m ent of trust and unwavering confidence. How singularly 
adapted, if properly viewed, is everything in the present 
state to fix immutably this principle in the heart. All the 
dark and inscrutable features of providence, all the require- 
ments of self-denial, all the testimonies of the Bible, are in- 
tended and admirably adapted to fix in man the principle 
of holy trust ; thus producing unwavering confidence in 
God, and effectually securing the permanent and everlast- 
ing ennobling and happiness of man. 

The prime and saving element in the gospel scheme is faith 
— simple trust — in all the testimony, promises and threat - 
enings of God as revealed in the Bible. It is upon the 
exercise of such confidence that the everlasting salvation 
of the soul is suspended. Take away this one element 
from the gospel plan, and all its power in preparing men 
for future permanent happiness is gone, and gone forever. 
Men must think, and feel, and act upon the simple and un- 
wavering persuasion that God means what he says, and 
that what he says is true and right. Though they see 
not God, except in his works, though they hear not his 
voice, save through holy men moved by the Holy Ghost, 
still they must learn implicitly to obey him. Such is the 
method by which God teaches men. No small amount 
of the comfort of the present life is found in the confi- 
dence men repose in the providence of God, and in the 
laws which he has fixed for the natural world. The same 


66 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


confidence mnst be had in the laws he has revealed, by 
which he governs the moral world, or there can neither 
be happiness here or the necessary preparation for happi- 
ness hereafter. 


EAITH MUST TRIUMPH HERE AND FOREVER. 


“Sweet, in the confidence of faith, 

To trust his firm decree ; 

Sweet to lie passive in his hands, 

And know no will but his : 

If such the sweetness of the stream, 

What must the fountain be, 

Where saints and angels draw their bliss 
Immediately from thee.” — A. M. Toplady, 


JOSEPH. 


The Value of Character. 


JOSEPH. 


THE VALUE OF CHARACTER. 


Joseph was the elder of the two sons of Jacob by his 
wife Rachel. The record of his birth is very brief, though 
tender. “And God remembered Rachel, and harkened 
to her.” “ And she bare a son ; and said, God hath taken 
away my reproach: and she called his name Joseph.” — 
Gen. 30 : 22-24. As he was given to her in answer to her 
prayer, so in the name she gave him she gratefully ac- 
knowledged the divine gift. There is a double etomology 
of this name, derived from two Hebrew verbs : dsaph , to 
take away, referring to her reproach, and ydsaph , to add 
or increase, referring to the gift of this son. “ The date 
of Joseph’s birth, relatively to that of the coming of Jacob 
into Egypt, is fixed by his becoming governor of Egypt, 
at thirty years, (Gen. 41 : 46,) which agrees with his being 
seventeen years old (Gen. 37 : 2) about the time that his 
brethren sold him. He was born therefore about thirty- 
nine years before Jacob came into Egypt, and according 
to the most probable genealogy B. C. 1903.” — (Smith’s 
Dictionary.) 

The patriarch Jacob was a resident of Mesopotamia, 
and was now about one hundred and twenty years old. 
Of the childhood and early years of Joseph there is no 
record. He is first brought into notice at the age of seven- 
teen. “Joseph being seventeen years old was feeding 
the flock with his brethren.” — Gen. 37 : 2. It is stated: 
“Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, 


JOSEPH. 


because lie was the son of his old age. ’ ’ — Gen. 37 : 3. The 
recording of this fact does not imply its approval. That 
Joseph was the youngest, and that he was born when 
J acob was an old man, is no proper reason why he should 
love Joseph more than he loved Reuben, his first born, 
nor does the fact that Joseph was then the first born of 
Rachel, justify his love of him more than of Reuben, the 
first born of Leah. If Joseph was a loveable youth, who 
by his filial, cheerful obedience, truthful and exemplary 
deportment, won the confidence of his father, it was right 
and proper that he should be proportionably loved, es- 
pecially if, in these particulars, he stood in strong con- 
trast with his brothers. If, Whilst he was obedient, they 
were willful and disobedient ; if, whilst he was mild, and 
gentle, and truthful, they were wild, rough and deceitful ; 
if, whilst he was pious and reverential, they were wicked 
and irreverent ; if, whilst he was a comfort to his father, 
they were a continued source of anxiety and trouble ; 
these are facts which appeal to every parental heart, and 
which justify Jacob in loving the loveable more than the 
turbulent and the unlovely. There is some foundation 
for this contrast of character from the intimation thus 
given. “ Joseph was feeding the flock with his brethren 
* * * and brought unto his father their evil report.” 

Admitting that Jacob was right in loving Joseph more 
than his other children, it certainly was a mistake to dis- 
criminate him, as the object of superior affection, by “a 
coat of many colors.” Such manifestations of favor 
always work mischief. It will either excite the vanity of 
the favored one, or wake up and intensify the hatred of 
the others. It does not appear, from the record, that 
Joseph was proud of his new and brilliant coat, or that it 
had any bad influence upon him, but it does appear that 
it stimulated his brethren into positive and bitter hatred. 
“And when his brethren saw that their father loved him 
more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not 
speak peaceably unto him.” — Gen. 37 : 4. 


70 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


EIRST BREAM. 

About this time a remarkable circumstance transpired. 
One morning when he met his brethren, probably in the. 
field, harvesting the grain ; in the simplicity of his artless 
and confiding nature, he told them he had a dream. 
“And they hated him yet the more.” “And he said 
unto them, hear, I pray you, this dream which I have 
dreamed.” It is not probable that he understood the 
meaning of his dream, much less that it intimated any 
political superiority to his brethren. Thinking it would 
perhaps amuse them, he said, “For, behold, we were 
binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose, and 
also stood upright ; and, behold, your sheaves stood round 
about, and made obeisance to my sheaf.” The brethren 
were quick to see the point and meaning of this dream, 
that it foreshadowed his future superiority to them. 
They said unto him, shalt thou indeed reign over us ? or 
shalt thou indeed have dominion over us? And they 
hated him yet the more for his dream, and for his words.” 
Gen. 37 : 5-8. 

In that early age, God was pleased so to impress the 
mind, by “visions in deep sleep,” as to make known his 
prophetic will. These visions being communicated, were 
received as authentic, and to be relied upon. Since the 
completion and publication of the written revelation, the 
communication by dreams or visions has ceased. It was 
only as the brethren understood the intent, that they 
could be impressed with the conviction that it foretold 
the future elevation of Joseph to dominion and power. 
Had they not seen in it the forecasting of the divine will 
it could not have troubled them. Because they felt that 
God was thus speaking to them they were troubled. 


JOSEPH. 


71 


SECOND DREAM. 

It was not long after this that Joseph surprised his 
brethren still more by the announcement that “ he dream- 
ed another dream’ ’ still more remarkable than the first. 
What now have you got to tell us ? Another manifesta- 
tion of your ambitious aspirings ? “ He told his brethren, 

behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made 
obeisance to me.” “ And he told it to his father and his 
brethren : and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, 
what is this dream that thou hast dreamed \ Shall I and 
thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down 
ourselves to thee to the earth ?” They all saw that this 
dream foretold that Joseph was not only to have dominion 
and power, but that they all must render obeisance to him. 
The father rebuked him, because it was unseemly that 
the parents and the elder brethren should do homage to 
one so much younger. To the parents belonged reveren- 
tial respect, so long as they lived. Though he rebuked, 
he was neither angry with him, nor did he reject the dream 
as the vain imaginings of an ambitious youth. He “ ob- 
served the sayings.” He gave serious attention to them 
as foreshowing the divine will, to be wrought out in the 
future workings of providence. The good old patriarch 
settled down with the conviction that the wise and good 
being, who rules and “ worketh all things after the coun- 
sel of his own will,” may be safely trusted ; and that he 
will secure that which is best. Hut the brethren, rebel- 
lious against the revealed purpose of God, “ envied him,” 
when they noticed that the dream had so seriously im- 
pressed the mind of their father. To envy, is to repine 
at another’s good. This is bred of selfishness. This 
quickens the bad passions. The Apostle places it in the 
catalogue of crimes, 4 ‘ full of envy, murder, debate, de- 
ceit, malignity.” — Eom. 1 : 29. 4 4 Living in malice and 


72 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


envy, hateful, and hating one another.” — Tit. 8:3. In 
all ages, where this passion is dominant it hurries on the 
person to fearful deeds. 


OUT-WORKINGS OF WRATH. 

Some time after the telling of the dreams, it may have 
been weeks, “his brethren went to feed their father s 
flocks in Shechem.” Not hearing from them, “ Israel 
said unto Joseph, do not thy brethren feed the flock in 
Shechem? Come, and I will send thee unto them.” 
Joseph might, with good reason, ask to be excused, be- 
cause of the continued unkind treatment of his brethren. 
He might have pleaded, you know, father, that they 
“ envy me,” and will not speak peaceably to me. But no 
such plea would he offer. He was an obedient son, and 
with prompt cheerfulness he said “Here I am.” The 
father said to him “go, I pray thee, see whether it be 
well with thy brethren, and well with the flocks, and 
bring me word again.” Could this old man have known 
what would come out of this mission, it would as sorely 
have tried his confidence in God, as did the ordered sacri- 
fice of Isaac, the faith of Abraham. God mercifully 
spared him this foreknowledge. “So he sent Joseph 
out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem.” 
But his brethren were not there. They, in pursuit of 
pasturage, had gone he knew not whither. He might 
now have returned home truthfully saying, I sought them 
at Shechem but found them not ; nor did I know where 
to look for them. He was aware that his father was anx- 
ious to hear from them. The spirit of obedience was in 
his heart, so he continued his search. “And a certain 
man found him, and behold he was wandering in the 
field ; and the man asked him what seekest thou ? and he 
said, I seek my brethren : tell me, I pray thee, where they 


JOSEPH. 


73 


feed their flocks?” This showed the spirit of obedience 
carried out with the determination not to cease his efforts 
to find them, until further sea-rch was impracticable. 
“ And the man said, they are departed hence ; for I heard 
them say, let us go to Dothan.” Upon this information 
he immediately departed and “ went after his brethren 
and found them in Dothan.” 

Here one of the most remarkable and instructive occur- 
rences transpired. His brethren saw him when he was 
afar off ; they knew him, for certainty, by his bright coat 
of many colors. “ Even before he came near unto them, 
they conspired against him to slay him. And they said 
one unto another, behold, this dreamer cometh.” Here 
is the envious spirit ; it may slumber, but it is sure to 
lead on to crime, for it scorns the restraints of all law. 

‘ 4 Come now, therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him 
into some pit, and we will say, some evil beast hath de- 
voured him ; and we will see what will become of his 
dreams. ” Yes, murderers, you will see. For whilst man 
appoints, it is God who disappoints. “He taketh the 
wise in their own craftiness ; and the counsel of the fro- 
ward is carried headlong.” — Job 5 : 13. They, like all 
the wicked, argued that the disposal of events are in their 
own hands. They said among themselves : if he lived, 
his dreams might come to pass. But if he were dead they 
certainly could not. Then he could not have dominion 
over them. This fixed their purpose. 

Had not an unexpected friend appeared, whom God had 
stirred up to friendliness, they would have carried out 
their wicked purpose. God is never wanting in agencies 
to protect and deliver out of the hands of the wicked 
those whose lives are necessary for the working out of his 
wise and benevolent plans. “ And Reuben heard it, (the 
determination to slay Joseph,) and delivered him out of 
their hands ; and said, let us not kill him, shed no blood, 
but cast him into this pit, that is in the wilderness, and 

4 


74 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


lay no hand npon him.” He wonld not be a party to the 
murder of his brother. He would not rend the heart of 
his father with anguish, for he knew how tenderly he 
loved Joseph. He thus spake to the brethren “that he 
might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his 
father.” This proposition of Reuben suited their evil 
purpose as well as the actual shedding of his blood. Left 
in a deep pit, without bread and water, and with no means 
of escape, he would surely die. And what did they care 
for all the agencies of suffering by slow starvation. 
Envy is more cruel than death. ‘ 4 When J oseph came near 
unto his brethren they stripped Joseph out of his coat, 
his coat of many colors that was on him ; and they took 
him, and cast him into a pit : and the pit was empty, 
there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat 
bread.” This was monstrous cool. 

Reuben, as we have seen, was of a different spirit. He 
was intent upon saving the life of Joseph, and returning 
him to his home in safety. It was noble in him thus to 
take up for the feeble, innocent one ; thus to interpose and 
turn aside, for the moment, the murderous wrath of the 
brothers. Having thus far succeeded, he leaves them, 
being drawn away probably by the proper caring for his 
flocks to some distant pasturage. 


PROVIDENTIAL INTERPOSITION. 

Had the desire of Reuben been carried out, the grand 
purpose of God for the future good of multitudes would 
not have been consummated. Hew actors are here intro- 
duced. The course of human thought and action is 
changed and the divine plan is moved forward. At this 
critical juncture, ‘ They lifted up their eyes and looked, and 
behold, a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with 
their camels, bearing spicery, balm and myrrh, going to 


JOSEPH. 


75 


carry it to Egypt.” Another base passion now is stirred 
into activity. u And Judah said nnto his brethren, what 
profit is it if we slay onr brother and conceal his blood \ 
Come, and let ns sell him to the Islimaelites, and let not 
onr hand be npon him ; for he is onr brother and onr 
flesh.” Was this relenting, a tronbling of conscience, a 
fear of actnal mnrder ? It marked a change in the pro- 
gramme. ‘ 4 And the brethren were content. ’ ’ How easily 
are the wicked led by a bold leader. “ Then there pass- 
ed by Midianitish merchant men ; and they drew and 
lifted np Joseph ont of the pit, and sold him to the Ish- 
maelites for twenty pieces of silver ; and they (the mer- 
chants) brought Joseph into Egypt.” Thus doubtless 
the brethren thought that they had, without murder, 
effectually got rid of Joseph and his dreams, whilst by 
this sale they had enriched themselves. 

Just here a momentous question forces itself to the front. 
What right had they to sell Joseph ? W itli intensity I de- 
mand. What eight had they ? WHAT RIGHT HAH 
THEY ? They had only the right of a thief. So Joseph, 
in the calm review of the whole transaction decided. 
“For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the 
Hebrews.” — Gen. 40 : 15. Yes, they had the right, and 
only the right of a thief. They stole him from his father 
— they stole him from himself ; the meanest and most 
damnable of all stealing. They robbed him of the man- 
hood which God gave him, they degraded him to a chat- 
tel — they made a slave of him. 

Put this matter upon four legs and nobody has any 
difficulty either with the commercial or the moral ques- 
tion. If A steals my horse and sells it to B, B could 
only purchase the right which A had. If the horse is 
sold to twenty different persons, no one, nor all of the 
twenty sales together, can invalidate my right to that 
horse. If I find him in the possession of W I claim him, 
and on proof take him away. I tell W that he must 



p. 70. 


JOSEPH SOLD 




JOSEPH. 


77 


look to X, and X onward nntil A is reached, who mnst 
make good his right. But place this npon two legs, paint 
it black, and call it a slave, then, ah ! then ! grave doc- 
tors of divinity, in Christian churches, have doubts, nay 
are confident that they are justified by the Scriptures in 
stealing men, and holding them in slavery. Shame! 
shame ! upon the stupidity or blinding selfishness of such 
expounders of the word of God. Such teachings breed 
widespread demoralization. Merchants, mechanics, men 
of the sea, and political parties, find their love of gain in 
this direction fortified, and they, too, pleaded the word of 
God as their shield and justification for sustaining an in- 
stitution which has only the right which stolen property 
conveys. 

Thanks, unbounded hearty thanks, to God that the 
public mind in all Christian countries is getting right on 
this subject. In all protestant countries, where the silver 
trumpet has sounded its jubilee notes, proclaiming “ liber- 
ty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants there- 
of,’’ “the sun rises on no master and sets on no slave.” 
Nor will the people of these lands rest until slavery, with 
all its abominations of iniquity, is wiped out from this 
globe. 

W e follow not the trail of these buyers of men, on their 
way to the slave market. They have reached Egypt. 

When Reuben returned, to carry out his generous pur- 
pose, on going to the pit, “ behold Joseph was not in the 
pit.” In the honest sorrow of his heart “he rent his 
clothes,” the outward demonstration of his grief. “ He 
returned to his brethren who, doubtless told him what 
they had done— that they had sold Joseph to the Ish- 
maelite traders, and here are the twenty pieces of silver. 
Earnestly, I seem to hear Reuben say, and where are 
these traders in men ? By this time far, far away in the 
trackless desert, is the reply. Then, in the bitterness of 
his anguish, he lifted up his voice : the child is not, and 


78 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


I, whither shall I go ?” What could this generous-heart- 
ed, sorrow- stricken man do ? The traders were gone ! 
Where could he find them ? How could he, without 
money, redeem his brother ? J oseph was far on his way 
to an unknown destiny. Wretched, sorrowing Reuben. 

I need not long dwell upon the way in which they con- 
cealed their crime. “They took Joseph’s coat, and kill- 
ed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood ; 
and then rent the coat of many colors, and they brought 
it to their father, and said, this have we found : know 
thou whether it be thy son’s coat or no?” Thus, in the 
code of crime, one sin demands another for its conceal- 
ment. The good old patriarch scrutinized the coat with 
growing fears, until the evidence was too clear to be re- 
sisted. ‘ 4 And he knew it, and said, it is my son’ s coat ; an 
evil beast hath devoured him ; Joseph is, without doubt, 
rent in pieces.” Parental love could hold in no longer. 
“And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sack-cloth upon 
his loins, and mourned for his son many days.” 

Crime demands yet another wrong. The crowning act 
of their wickedness was their mean hypocrisy. ‘ ‘ And all 
his sons, and all his daughters, rose up to comfort him.” 
The daughters, doubtless, with true womanly sympathy. 
Was Reuben there, and then, and thus engaged? He 
was, for it is written, “all his sons.” He may have jus- 
tified his conduct by the plea that, under the circum- 
stances, it was best for the father to keep him in ignorance 
of the truth. Better that he should mourn for Joseph as 
dead, than have continual doubt, and anxiety, and suffer- 
ing. Time would mitigate his sorrow. But no length of 
days would wear out the anxieties whilst a hope remained 
that Joseph was alive, and might be found. Truth is 
better than deception. Falsehood will sooner or later be 
detected. 

The hypocrisy of the brethren was unrelenting. For 
at any moment, by the confession of the truth, they could 


JOSEPH. 


79 


have lifted the heavy burden from the sorrowing heart of 
their father. They could have enlivened his age by the 
inspirings of hope, and by their active, honest exertions, 
could have strengthened the hope that Joseph could yet 
be found, redeemed from slavery, and returned home. 
But no, they had, through their cruel envy, fallen into 
the snare of the devil, and there was no relen tings. They 
saw their father weep, and mourn, and bend his gray 
hairs with sorrow towards the grave. Thus cruel, unre- 
lentingly cruel, is envy and hatred. Where was Keuben 
all these years? Was lie still under the delusion that 
concealment is better than open, manly confession ? W as 
he silent through shame ? Did his brothers threaten his 
life if he told the- truth ? The record is silent. The time 
had not come for their sin to find them out. 


TRIALS IX A STRAXGE LAKD. 

“ And Joseph was brought down to Egypt: and Poti- 
phar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an 
Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmaelites, 
which had brought him down thither.” This Potiphar 
was not a hard master. He did not regard and treat all 
of his slaves alike. He was quick to disarm and utilize the 
good properties of those he found worthy. Joseph, as a 
boy, had proved himself to be obedient, truthful and 
faithful to the trusts committed to him. As “the boy is 
father to the man,” so, in these new and more trying cir- 
cumstances, he so developed these traits of character, as 
to attract the attention, and command the fullest confi- 
dence of his master. “And Joseph found grace in his 
sight, and he served him.” Such was his truthfulness 
and honesty ; his fidelity and ability ; his respectful and 
cheerful obedience and prompt attention to the interests 
of Potiphar, that “he made him overseer over his house, 


80 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


and all that he had he put into his hand.” So entire was 
this confidence, that he knew not aught that he had save 
the bread which he did eat.” Though Joseph was sub- 
jected to servitude, the Lord did not forsake him. “ The 
Lord was with Joseph.” “ And his master saw that the 
Lord was with him, and made all that he did to prosper 
in his hand.” “The Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house 
for Joseph’s sake ; and the blessing of the Lord was upon 
all that he had in the house, and in the field.” “ When 
a man’ s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies 
to be at peace with him.” — Prov. 16 : 7. 

By the force of a right character, with the blessing 
of God, Joseph was placed in circumstances of comfort 
and respect. He was now, by the cares of business, in 
training for the higher and more important responsibili- 
ties which awaited him. Having temporal worldly com- 
fort, and the privilege of worshiping the true God he may 
have settled down with the conviction that all his troubles 
were over, though his thoughts and warm affections often 
went back to the loved ones from whom he was separated. 
But sorer troubles are at hand. 


THE TEMPTATION. 

“Joseph was a goodly person and well favored.” 
Beauty of person has its dangers in man and woman. 
Those which come from within the individual, such as 
pride, vanity and the like, are perilous to the souls best 
interest. “Favor is deceitful, and beauty is vain.” — 
Prov. 31:30. “’Tis beauty that doth make woman 
proud.” But those that come from without are more in- 
sinuating. They profess affections which are too sacred 
for such wretches. They promise what they never intend 
to perform. They are bent only on sinful gratifications. 
These they pursue reckless of the ruin of the victim for 


JOSEPH. 


81 


two worlds, and the ruin of two souls. Joseph was not 
safe from the assault made upon him, because of his per- 
sonal beauty. “ And it came to pass, that his master’s 
wife cast her eye upon Joseph,” and made to him a wick- 
ed proposition. With intense promptness and decision 
he spurned the advances of this vile woman. “He re- 
fused and said, behold, my master watcheth not what is 
with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he 
hath to my hand ; there is none greater in his house than 
I ; neither hath he kept back anything from me, but thee, 
because thou art his wife : how then can I do this great 
wickedness, and sin against God ?” Noble youth ! thou 
didst well not to parley with temptation, but promptly to 
rebuke the tempter and boldly to recognize the sin and 
your responsibility to God. ‘ ( Wherewithal shall a young 
man cleanse his way % By taking heed thereto according 
to thy word.” — Ps. 119 : 9. 



EGYPTIAN LADY. 


Though he fled from the tempter, the tempter did not 
flee from him. There is a pertinacity of perseverance in 
evil ways. ‘ ‘ And it came to pass, as she spake to J oseph 
day by day, that he hearkened not unto her.” He stood 


82 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


firm in his integrity for the fear and love of God was his 
strength and confidence. 

This vile woman seemed to be nnder an intoxication of 
evil, which drowned conscience and shame. “And it 
came to pass about this time, that Joseph went into the 
house to do his business ; and there was none of the men 
of the house there within. • And she caught him by his gar- 
ment and resolutely pressed upon him her wicked desire. 
With prompt determination he tore himself away from her 
grasp, “he fled,” from this tempter, leaving his (outer) 
garment in her hand.” This garment, thus left, was the 
evidence of his innocence. But she used it for his condem- 
nation. Her professed love for him was turned into the 
bitterest hatred. 

“But when no female arts his mind could move, 

She turned to furious hate her impious love.” 

For 

“ Hell knows no fury like a woman scorned.” 

Knowing the confidence which her husband had in 
Joseph, and fearing perhaps that he would tell to him the 
tale of her vileness, she determined to be beforehand with 
him. “ She called unto the men of the house, and spake 
unto them, saying, see, he hath brought in a Hebrew un- 
to us to mock us, he came unto me,” with violence to 
force me. “And I cried with a loud voice, and it came 
to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and 
cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got 
him out. And she laid up his garment by her, until her 
lord came home.” It is no uncommon thing for the 
guilty to charge upon the innocent their own wicked acts. 
Here again to cover up her crime demands the wicked- 
ness and meanness of lying. There is a fearful progress 
in sin. The first wrong step if not immediately retraced, 
with penitence, necessitates many other voluntary and 
more grievous departures. 


JOSEPH. 


83 


Upon the return home of Potiphar, “she spake unto him 
according to these words, the Hebrew servant which thou 
hast brought unto us came in unto me to mock me : and 
it came to pass, as I lifted my voice and cried, that he 
left his garment with me, and lied out.” This was a 
simple story, well calculated to inflame the wrath of an 
affectionate husband. The garment was circumstantial 
evidence confirmatory of the statement of the wife, which 
was doubtless made with appropriate demonstrations of 
disgust and injured virtue. 4 ‘When his master heard the 
words of his wife, which she spake ; his wrath was Jdn- 
dled. And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into 
the prison, a place where the king’ s prisoners were bound : 
and he was there in prison.” Here he remained for two 
years or more. It does not appear that Joseph was heard 
in his defense, or that Potiphar made any inquiries. 
Why should he % The testimony of a slave would not be 
received. Nor does it appear that Joseph, in any way 
sought to disprove the charge. Conscious of his inno- 
cence he may have generously resolved to suffer the wrong, 
rather than be the means of carrying wretchedness into 
the family of Potiphar, who had been so kind to him. 
The fact that he was cast into prison, with a heavy cloud 
of infamy resting upon him, was the hardest of all his 
trials. “ Whose feet they hurt with fetters : he was laid 
in iron.” — Ps. 105 : 18. Strange reward this for innocence 
and such excellent traits of character. To our short- 
sighted blindness it so appears. But God never loses 
sight of the best interest of his people, though by strange 
means he disciplines and educates them for the higher 
service for which he is preparing them. In darkness as 
well as in the light, in adversity as well as in prosperity, 
Joseph did not lose his confidence in God,, nor change 
the course of his conduct. “The Lord was with Joseph 
and showed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight 
of the keeper of the prison.” 


84 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


The keeper of the prison perceiving the nncomplaining 
patience, the truthfulness and cheerful obedience, the 
diligence, fidelity and ability of Joseph ; his confidence 
in him was established. Subsequent events may have 
taught Potiphar, that his own conduct was hasty and 
rash, if not cruel. Whilst he could not, without expos- 
ing the shame of his wife, declare his innocence, he could 
speak a kind word for him. The Lord touched the heart 
of the keeper of the prison so that he committed to Joseph’ s 
hand all the prisoners that were in the prison. The keep- 
er of the prison looked not to anything that was under 
his hand, because the Lord was with him, and that which 
he did, the Lord made it to prosper.” Thus light again 
chased away the darkness. His cares and his comforts 
mitigated the wearisome degradation of his prison life. 
He may have thought that thus he was to spend his days. 
It was no small trial of his confidence in the vindicating 
providence of his God. Why not, at once, clear his char- 
acter of such foul, false charges ? He knew not then, that 
it was in this prison life, having the charge of all the 
prisoners that he was schooled and educated in business- 
that he was thus disciplined and fitted for his after career 
of honor and statesmanship. Every day his education was 
progressing, and every day brought him near his deliv- 
erance. 


POLITICAL ELEVATION. 

The time was drawing nigh for closing the discipline 
and education of Joseph necessary for the successful ad- 
ministration of the government of Egypt, when* he should 
be elevated to honor and dominion. The chief butler 
and chief baker of the king having offended him, they 
were committed to prison, and put into the place where 
Joseph was (had been) bound. “And the captain of the 


JOSEPH. 


85 


guard, (probably a different person than Potiphar,) 
charged J oseph with them, and he served them : and they 
continued a season inward.” How long they were there 
is not stated, but it is stated that in the same night each 
of these two prisoners had a remarkable dream. It greatly 
troubled them, as they could not divine the intent and 
meaning. This made them sad, as it might portend only 
evil. “ And Joseph came in unto them in the morning, 
and looked upon them, and, behold they were sad.” 
With sympathetic kindness Joseph asked, “wherefore 
look ye so sadly to-day?” And they said, “we have 
dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it.” The 
modest, pious reply of Joseph was : “do not interpreta- 
tions belong to God ? Tell me them, I pray you.” Thus 
encouraged, the chief butler said, “In my dream, behold 
a vine was before me ; and in the vine were three branches ; 
and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot 
forth ; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes ; 
and Pharaoh’ s cup was in my right hand ; and I took the 
grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’ s cup, and I gave 
the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.” With us, in this nine- 
teenth century, the interpretation would be : this dream 
comes of the multitude of your thoughts. It is strictly 
in the line of your occupation, and expresses the desire 
of your heart. Think nothing more of it. But in that 
early day, when God was pleased to foreshadow future 
events by the visions of the night, Joseph, led by the 
divine spirit, saw and declared the meaning: “This is 
the interpretation of it. The three branches are three 
days : yet within three days shall Pharaoh lift up thine 
head and restore thee unto thy place; and thou shalt 
deliver Pharaoh’s cup into his hand, after the former 
manner when thou wast his butler.” 

The sadness passed away, and the countenance of the 
butler was lighted up with joy as gladness filled his heart. 
With profusion of thanks he doubtless asked: “when I 


86 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


am restored to favor, what can I do for you?” Joseph 
said : ‘ ‘ think on me when it shall be well with thee, and 
show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention 
of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house, for 



indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews : 
and here also I have done nothing that they should put 
me in the dungeon. ’ ’ J oseph would make the chief butler 
his mediator to bri ng his case for a hearing before Pharaoh. 
For he longed for liberty— he longed to have his character 
cleared of the base charges made against him. That the 


JOSEPH. 


87 


butler might have wherewith to plead, he tells to him the 
history of his coming into Egypt, and asserts his perfect 
innocence. This, perhaps, was the only opportunity he 
had of pleading his cause. It may be that the vile woman 
on whose false charge he was imprisoned, was dead, and 
that her husband was also no more, and that now no 
family wretchedness could follow from publicity being 
given to all the facts. He wanted to stand forth free and 
innocent. 4 ‘ Think on me when it shall be well with thee. ’ ’ 



Encouraged by so favorable an interpretation of the 
dream of the chief butler, hope animated the heart of the 
chief baker, and he said : “ I also was in my dream, and, 
behold, I had three white baskets on my head : and in the 
uppermost basket there was of all manner of baked meats 
for Pharaoh : and the birds did eat them out of the basket 
upon my head.” This dream, like the other, was in the 
way of his former occupation, and clearly indicated the 


88 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


thought which had been in his mind. Joseph was no 
flatterer. Bad as he saw the intent of this dream, he 
would not deceive the chief baker, whose eyes were fixed 
upon him with intense expectation. Truthful, inflexible 
in his truthfulness, “he said, this is the interpretation. 
The three baskets are three days : yet within three days 
shall Pharaoh lift ofi thy head from off thee, and shall 
hang thee on a tree, and the birds shall eat thy flesh from 
off thee.” 

Maddened by his disappointed hope, he may have burst 
forth in wailings and in language not fit to be recorded, 
cursing all as his enemies. Hope, ever hard to be extin- 
guished, revived. How do I know that this interpreta- 
tion is true % Who is this Hebrew who so authoritively 
declares the future ? He is a slave ; he is a prisoner under 
charge of a crime more impious and vile than any sin 
that I have committed. I do not despair. It may be 
nothing but his imaginings. 

“And it came to pass the third day, which was Pha- 
raoh’ s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants: 
and he lifted up the head of the chief butler and of the 
chief baker among his servants. And he restored the 
chief butler to his butlership again, and he gave the cup 
into Pharaoh’ s hand ; and he hanged the chief baker : as 
Joseph interpreted to them.” 

How Joseph hoped for, nay expected, deliverance. 
The chief butler was his friend. He had promised to in- 
tercede for him. His intercession would surely prevail, 
as he had the confidence of Pharaoh, and was often very 
near to him, especially so at meals, when the cup was 
presented, and when, through cheer, the heart is tender. 
Then the petition for Joseph would be kindly received. 
“Yet did not the chief butler remember Joseph, but for- 
got him.” “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his 
nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted for?” — Isa. 
2: 22. “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put con- 


JOSEPH. 


89 


fidence in man.” — Ps. 118 : 8. By disappointment, where 
he hoped and looked for deliverance, the Lord rebuked 
J oseph, teaching him that, confidence in man is vain, be- 
cause of his depravity. Especially how selfish and un- 
thankful is prosperity. 

Time passed on and no deliverance. The weary days 
brought alternate hope and disappointment. But God 
did not forget Joseph. Leading him by a way he knew 
not, he was training him for the future. Having all 
minds at his control, he, in his own time, which is always 
the best time, brings forward the requisite actors. “ And 
it came to pass, at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh 
dreamed : and, behold, he stood by the river. And, be- 
hold, there came up out of the river seven well-favored 
kine and fat fleshed ; and they fed in the meadow. And, 
behold, seven other kine came up after them, out of the 
river, ill-favored and lean fleshed, and stood by the other 
kine upon the brink of the river. And the ill-favored and 
lean kine did eat up the seven well-favored and fat kine. 
So Pharaoh awoke.” This was a strange dream and per- 
fectly incomprehensible to the king. Its intent was so 
important that, under a different imagery, and by another 
dream, it was the more deeply impressed upon his mind. 
The design of God was manifold. Thus he prepared the 
way for the release and elevation of Joseph ; for the gather- 
ing up of the grain for the coming famine — for the pre- 
servation of the family of Jacob ; for the fulfilling of the 
prophetic dreams of Joseph ; for the uncovering and 
bringing to light the wickedness of the brethren, and for 
making manifest the lovely traits of Joseph’s character. 

“ And he slept and dreamed a second time : and, be- 
hold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and 
good. And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the 
east wind sprung up after them. And the seven thin 
ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And P ha- 
raoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.” Here was a 


90 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


strange similarity in the numbers ; seven kine, well-fa- 
vored, and seven ears of corn on one stalk rank and good. 
Here was agreement. So there were seven ill-favored and 
lean kine and seven ears of corn on the stalk thin and blast- 
ed. Here again was agreement. Again the lean kine and 
the blasted ears of corn devoured the good. What could it 
all mean ? 4 4 His spirit was troubled. ’ ’ 4 4 He called for all 

the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof : 
and Pharaoh told them his dream ; but there was none 
that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.” This testing 
the ability of all the magicians and wise men of Egypt 
must have consumed days, nay, it may be weeks and 
months. The anxiety of the king to know the interpre- 
tation, and the failure of the magicians and wise men, 
made the interpretation of the dreams a matter of public 
interest. How was the set time to bring forth Joseph un- 
der the most advantageous circumstances. 44 Then spake 
the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my 
fault this day.” Well may he call his ingratitude and 
oblivion of J oseph his fault. It was his crime. It wrought 
upon his conscience, and perhaps, through fear, he nar- 
rates to Pharaoh the dreams that he and the chief baker 
had when in prison ; the interpretation by Joseph and 
the exact fulfillment. 4 4 Then Pharaoh sent and called 
J oseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon , 5 ’ 
literally, 44 made him to run.” 44 And he shaved himself 
and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.” 
44 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, 
and there is none that can interpret it : and I have heard 
say of thee, that thou canst understand a dream to inter- 
pret it.” Joseph assumes to himself no power to inter- 
pret, but, with loyalty to God, he answered 4 4 it is not in 
me : God shall give Pharaoh an answer in peace.” The 
king with great particularity narrates his two dreams. 

Joseph said 44 the dream of Pharaoh is one. God hath 
showed Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good 



p. 91. 


JOSEPH BEFOKE PHAIIAOH 



92 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


kine are seven years ; and the seven good ears are seven 
years : the dream is one. The seven thin and ill-favored 
kine are seven years, and the seven empty ears, blasted 
be seven years.” Had Joseph stopped here, the mind of 
the king would have been in confusion and trouble. He 
adds u this is the thing which I have spoken unto Pha- 
raoh : what God is about to do he showeth unto Pharaoh. 



JOSEPH INTEiiPKETING. 


Behold there come seven years of great plenty through- 
out all the land of Egypt. And there shall arise after 
them, seven years of famine ; and all the plenty shall be 
forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine shall con- 
sume the land.” How simple and beautiful is this inter- 
pretation. It answers in every particular to all the items 
in the dreams. He explains why “the dream was doub- 
led unto Pharaoh twice ; it is because the thing is estab- 


JOSEPII. 


93 


lished by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.” 
Having given the interpretation and the assurance that 
it would certainly take place, he gives to the king most 
valuable and practical advice, as the course proper to be 
pursued, in gathering and storing the surplussage of the 
years of plenty, “that the land perish not through the 
famine.” Here the previous business education, under 
Potiphar, becomes apparent. And the value of the pris- 
on discipline and supervision will stand out in the con- 
trol of the multitudes necessary, to build and store the 
granaries. 

“The thing (advice) was good in the eyes of Pharaoh, 
and in the eyes of all his servants.” “And Pharaoh said 
unto Joseph, forasmuch as God hath showed thee all this, 
there is none so discreet and wise as thou art. Thou shalt 
be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all 
my people be ruled : only in the throne will I be greater 
than thou. See, I have set thee over all the land of Egypt. ’ ’ 
Having thus proclaimed his decree he placed upon him the 
insignia of station and authority. “ And Pharaoh took 
off his ring, his private royal seal, his signet ring, from 
his hand and put it upon Joseph’s hand, and arrayed him 
in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his 
neck: and he made him to ride in the second chariot. 
And they cried before him, bow the knee : and he made 
him ruler over all the land of Egypt.” 

Thus, by a series of very peculiar providences, Joseph 
was brought from his home, a petted son, and sold as a 
slave to Potiphar. By his good character he secured the 
confidence of his master, and was so placed as necessarily 
to become instructed in worldly business. Then, by the 
word of a lying, wicked woman he was degraded and cast 
into prison. Here again his good character secures the 
favor of the keeper, and he was placed in supervision of 
all the prisoners ; where he learned how to manage men. 
By peculiar dreams, which by the direct teachings of God 


94 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


he correctly interprets, he was brought out of his prison, 
cleared of all suspicion and inaugurated as the ruler over 
the land of Egypt. These all were links of one chain. 
God’s providences are not only always active, but always 
harmonious, working together to consummate some good 
end. Thus the trustful confidence in God and the patient 
waiting of Joseph upon divine providence, resulted in his 
exaltation to honor and usefulness, incomparably greater 
than he could have attained under the roof and protection 
of his father. His character through all these trials 
stood firm and steadily improved. 

“ In each event of life, how clear 
Thy ruling hand I see ! 

Each blessing to my soul most dear, 

Because confined to thee ; 

In every joy that crowns my days, 

In every pain I bear, 

My heart shall find delight in praise, 

Or seek relief in prayer.” 


god’s purpose completed. 

Recall the prophetic dreams of Joseph. The sheaves 
which told that his brethren should bow down to him and 
recognize him as having authority over them, which they 
repelled with scorn. The dream of the sun, moon and 
stars, which foretold that his father and mother and 
brethren should bow down to him in reverent acknowl- 
edgment of his dominion ; which the father pondered 
and remembered, but the brethren rejected with invidi- 
ous hatred. Recall the time when the brethren seized 
Joseph and cast him into a pit that he might perish there, 
saying, “we shall see what will become of his dreams,” 
and when they sold him into slavery and with tearless 
eyes, and hatred in their hearts, saw him carried away 


JOSEPH. 


95 


into a far off country. For a long, very long time, they 
had heard nothing from their brother, and they either 
thought that he was dead, or irrecoverably gone, so that 
his dreams were only the vain imaginings of youth, and 
not the forecastings of providence. They reasoned, as 
wicked men reason, leaving God out of the account, being 
ignorant that a divine hand has control of all agencies, 
and turns every wheel of providence. We have seen 
Joseph released from prison, and elevated to political 
eminence and power. We left him busied in gathering 
up and storing away the teeming harvests, and preparing 
for the years of famine. These facts the brethren did not 
know. But they were bound to know them by journey- 
ings, and sufferings, and degradations, of which they 
little dreamed. Had they known of the seven years of 
famine, to be preceded by seven years of extra abundance 
of grain, they, too, could have provided food for the com- 
ing distress. They knew not of it God did not intend 
they should. His plan required this ignorance on their 
part. It worked out, with perfect accuracy, the grand 
accomplishment. 

When the seven years of plenty had yielded their pre- 
cious increase, and “the famine waxed sore in the land 
of Egypt, then all countries came into Egypt to Joseph 
to buy corn, because that the famine was sore in all lands.” 
“Jacob said unto his sons, why do ye look one upon 
another ? I have heard that there is corn in Egypt ; get 
ye down thither, and buy for us from thence ; that we 
may live and not die. And Joseph’s ten brethren went 
down to buy corn in Egypt.” This is the beginning of 
the end. The first step on their way to trouble and humili- 
ation. 

Joseph gave his personal attention to the selling of the 
corn. This brought him in direct contact with all who 
came to purchase. So, when the brethren came, they 
necessarily were brought into his presence. Approaching 


96 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


him, as the governor, they “ came and bowed down them- 
selves before him with their faces to the earth.” They 
did not recognize their brother in this governor, surrounded 
as he was with the visible evidences of his greatness and 
power. But Joseph knew them. And as they bowed 
down to him “ with their faces to the earth,” he saw the 
literal fulfillment of his own prophetic dream of the 
sheaves. Instead of making himself known to them, he 
treated them roughly, saying: “ye are spies; to see the 
nakedness of the land ye are come.” They repelled this 
charge : “Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants 
come. W e are all one man’ s sons ; we are true men ; thy 
servants are no spies.” Joseph repeats the charge : “to 
see the nakedness of the land ye are come.” To prove 
their innocence they give their family history. “Thy 
servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man, in the 
land of Canaan ; and, behold, the youngest is this day 
with our father, and one is not.” Joseph again said, 
“ that is it that I spake unto you, ye are spies. Hereby 
ye shall be proved ; ye shall not go forth hence, except 
your youngest brother come hither. Send one of you, 
and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in 
prison that your words may be proved, whether there be 
any truth in you, else surely ye are spies. And he put 
them all together into ward (prison) three days. ’ ’ This was ' 
trouble unexpected ; bitter trouble. They now learn that 
retribution is an element in the divine government. Under 
a false accusation Joseph was cast into prison ; now these 
brothers who, with lying lips, had brought the torn and 
bloody coat to Jacob, are under a false charge put in the 
prison. Here they had time for reflection. Now busy, 
faithful memory calls back their own treatment of their 
brother. Now their conscience condemns them. “And 
they said one to another, we are verily guilty concerning 
our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when 
he besought us, and we would not hear ; therefore is this 


JOSEPH. 


97 


distress come upon us.” Reuben, the one who sought to 
deliver Joseph out of their murderous hands, recalls the 
past. “ Spake I not unto you saying, do not sin against 
the child, and ye would not hear? Therefore, behold, 
also his blood is required.” They felt the cramping force 
of retribution. They had seized and sold Joseph regard- 
less of his agony and pleadings, though he had done them 
no wrong. Now they are seized and condemned, though 
innocent of the charge of being spies, and regardless of 
their pleadings and anguish are cast into prison in a strange 
land. Whilst thus burdened, another weight pressed 
heavily. Whilst they remain in prison the loved ones at 
home are left to starve. It would seem that J oseph under- 
stood the communing which they had with themselves. 
“And he turned himself about from them and wept.” 
They knew not that Joseph understood them, for he spake 
unto them by an interpreter. 

On the third day “ Joseph said unto them, this do and 
live ; for I fear God : if ye be true men, let one of your 
brethren be bound in the house of your prison ; go ye, 
carry corn for the family of your houses. But bring your 
youngest brother unto me ; so shall your words be veri- 
fied and ye shall not die.” “And he took from them 
Simeon, and bound him before their eyes.” Was it Sim- 
eon who proposed to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites? If 
so he now felt the avenging power of sin. 

Joseph dealt generously with them. “He commanded 
to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man’s 
money into his sack, and to give them provision for the 
the way.” “And they loaded their asses with corn and 
departed.” A day’s journey threw them into deep per- 
plexity, when each brother found the money in the mouth 
of his sack. “Their heart failed them, and they were 
afraid, saying one to another, what is this, that God hath 
done unto us ?” Now they feel that God does govern and 
that they are subjects of his government. Already for 

5 


98 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


their sins towards their brother they were suspected and 
imprisoned, and Simeon they left bound as a hostage. 
What means this money in their sacks ? Is it that they 
may be followed, arrested, carried back, charged with 
stealing and condemned to perpetual slavery? “ Their 
heart failed them, they were afraid. A guilty conscience 
made cowards of them. 

When the brethren reached home they faithfully nar- 
rated to their father all the incidents of their journey, and 
of their interviews with the governor of Egypt. They 
dwelt upon the charge that they were spies, and of their 
defense by stating who they were, and that their father 
with his youngest son remained at home. And that 
“the lord of the country said unto us, hereby shall I 
know that ye are true men, leave one of your brethren 
here with me, and take food for the famine of your house- 
holds, and be gone : and bring your youngest brother un- 
to me ; then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that 
ye are true men : so will I deliver you your brother and 
ye shall traffic in the land.” This test of their character 
was well conceived as a plan to bring to Joseph his bro- 
ther, the son of his own mother. This design neither the 
brethren nor the father understood or suspected. With 
the suspicion of their being spies, as the starting point, 
the demand was reasonable and commended itself as pru- 
dential. 

When Jacob heard this condition he was overwhelmed 
with grief. He poured forth the lamentations of his pa- 
rental, loving heart. ‘ 4 Me have ye bereaved of my children : 
Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benja- 
min away : All these things are against me. 5 ’ Poor short- 
sigh ted mortal. He could not pierce through the dark 
cloud to the bright shining beyond. He knew not that 
the dark cloud has a silver lining. Jacob, who, in his 
long eventful life, had experienced many kind providen- 
tial deliverances, had yet to learn submission to the divine 


JOSEPH. 


99 


will, when that will was shrouded in impenetrable dark- 
ness. He would not allow Benjamin to leave his presence. 
Reuben, the same generous-hearted Reuben, who sought 
to deliver Joseph from the hands of his brethren, and re- 
turn him to his father, now stands forward and pleads. 
“ Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee ; deliver 
him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. ” 
Jacob heard, but faltered not in his purpose. “My son 
shall not go down with you, for his brother is dead, and 
he is left alone ; if mischief befall him by the way in the 
which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs 
with sorrow to the grave.” 

Time and threatened starvation works wonderful chan- 
ges in the decisions of men. “The famine was sore in 
the land.” “When they had eaten up the corn which 
they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto 
them, go again, and buy us a little food.” Here was a 
sad dilemma. To go without Benjamin, they could have 
no hope of success or safety. To take Benjamin with 
them would break their fathers heart. Then J udah spake, 
“the man did solemnly protest untp us, ye shall not see 
my face except your brother be with you. ’ ’ This made the 
brethren firm and resolute. “If thou wilt send our bro- 
ther with us, we will go down and buy thee food ; but if 
thou wilt not send him, we will not go down.” Here, as 
the politicians would say, is a dead lock. Will against 
will. If neither gave way starvation was inevitable. 
One must recede. Jacob wavers, and not seeing the hand 
of God, he complains. “ Wherefore dealt ye so ill with 
me, as to tell the man ye had yet a brother ?” The reply 
is the only one that could be made. They state the facts, 
“the man asked us straightly of our state, and of our 
kindred, saying, is your father yet alive? Have ye 
another brother ? And we told him according to the tenor 
of these words. Could we certainly know that he would 
say, bring your brother down?” Judah pleads the ur- 


100 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


gency of the case. “ Send the lad with me, and we will 
arise and go, that we may live, and not die, both we and 
thon, and also onr little ones.” The patriarch still hesi- 
tates, feeling the necessity, yet fearing to let Benjamin 
go. Then Judah said, “ I will be surety for him, of my 
hand thou shalt require him, if I bring him not unto thee, 
and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for- 
ever.” He further states the waste of time caused by the 
delay, “for except we had lingered, surely now we had 
returned the second time.” The father gives in, and, 
though reluctant, he consents. “ If it must be so now, do 
this.” He names the presents they should carry to the 
man that he may be propitiated. “And take double 
money in your hand ; and the money that was brought 
in your sacks, carry it again in your hand ; peradventure 
it was an oversight.” Thus by his and their honesty, in 
returning the money, he would prove to the man that the 
brethren were not spies, but true men. His mind is made 
up. “ Take also your brother, and arise and go again 
unto the man.” He sends them forth with his blessing, 
committing them to the divine protection. “And God 
Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may 
send away your other brother and Benjamin.” “If I 
be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” Was this 
the language of submission, or of sullen despondency % 
I think the patriarch meant to express his entire submis- 
sion to the will of that God Almighty to whose protection 
he committed these brethren who carried Benjamin with 
them. 

Here, for a time, we leave the sorrowing but submissive 
patriarch, that we may follow the brethren and notice 
their reception. “They took the 'present, and double 
money in their hand, and Benjamin, and went down to 
Egypt, and stood before Joseph.” The ruler of Joseph’s 
house received orders to prepare a feast, and to bring the 
brethren to dine with him at his house at noon. The 


JOSEPH. 


101 


brethren “were afraid when they were brought into 
Joseph’s house.” “A guilty conscience needs no accu- 
ser.” “Because of the money that was returned in our 
sacks at the first time, are we brought in ; that he may 
seek an occasion against us, and fall upon us, and 
take us for bond-men.” Thus troubled, they spake 
unto the steward of Joseph’s house, and narrated to 
him all the circumstances, and that they had brought 
the money found in their sacks, and other money to 
buy food. “We cannot tell who put our money in 
our sacks. ’ ’ The steward said, 4 4 peace be to you, fear not, 
your God and the God of your father, hath given you 
treasure in your sacks. I had your money. And he 
brought Simeon out unto them.” How altered, though 
strange, is this treatment. At the sight of Simeon, their 
hearts were comforted, if not joyous. Fear began to 
abate, and hope revived that the man would deal kindly 
with them. This hope gained strength when the steward 
4 4 gave them water and they washed their feet. ’ ’ This was 
the treatment of friends, and not of spies. 44 And when 
Joseph came home they brought him the present which 
was in their hand, and bowed themselves to the earth.” 
Here again was fulfilled most literally, the eleven sheaves 
bowing down to Joseph’s sheaf. The governor treats 
them with great kindness. 4 4 He asked them of their wel- 
fare ; is your father well ; the old man of whom ye spake ? 
Is he yet alive?” They answered, 44 thy servant, our 
father, is in good health, he is yet alive.” And they 
bowed down their heads and made obeisance. Another 
bowing of the sheaves. When Joseph 44 saw his brother 
Benjamin, his mother’s son, he said, is this your younger 
brother of whom ye spake unto me ?” Fixing his eye up- 
on Benjamin, he said, 44 God be gracious to thee, my son.” 
44 His bowels did yearn upon his brother,” so intensely 
that he could no longer control his emotions. He 4 4 made 
haste” to withdraw, and 44 sought where to weep.” In 


102 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


the retirement of his own chamber he gave full vent to 
his feelings, “‘and wept there” tears not of sorrow, but 
affectionate joy. What a noble heart of tenderness ! It 
is manly to weep when the heart is full of generous grate- 
ful affection. Having washed his face he returned — “ re- 
frained himself ” — ordered the feast to proceed. “And 
they sat before him, the first-born according to his birth- 
right, and the youngest according to his youth.” How 
did this man know the order of their births ? This trou- 
bled them, “and the men marveled one at another.” 
Their astonishment was still more awakened, when this 
man “took and sent messes to them from before him ; 
but Benjamin’s mess was five times so much as any of 
theirs.” Why this marked difference t What could he 
know of Ben j amin to j ustif y this marked difference \ W as 
it that he was not with them when they were regarded as 
spies % With all these questionings in their minds, they 
were not sad. They knew that a great and favorable 
change had taken place in the governor’s treatment of 
them. “ And they drank and were merry with him.” 

How long these agreeable days lasted we know not. 
But we do know that the condition of those at home de- 
manded their speedy return. And he commanded the 
steward: “fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as 
they can carry, and put every man’s money in his sack’s 
mouth. And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’ s 
mouth of the youngest with his corn money. ’ ’ Why this 
new stratagem ? Had not the brethren suffered enough ? 
Or had they not repented deeply and sincerely of their 
sins? On the part of Joseph, this new dark cloud was 
that permanent light and happiness might be their por- 
tion. Joyfully the brethren went on their way. Their 
sacks were full. Benjamin was with them; all their 
pledges to their father made good. So now, as a united 
family, they would enjoy the fruit of their journey. It 
is not safe for the guilty prematurely to feel comfortable. 


JOSEPH. 


103 

Such are never out of the reach of the avenger. When 
not far off, messengers are sent after them, who arrested 
them, saying: “Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for 
good *” They were charged with stealing the silver cup 
of the governor. This charge they repelled, and to prove 



CUP IN benjamin’s sack. 


their honesty, they relate the previous facts of their re- 
turning the money found in their sacks. Confident of 
their innocence, they proposed that a search should be 
made. “With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, 
both let him die, and we also will be my lord’s bondmen.” 


104 


BIBLE PEINCIPLES. 


“ Let it be according to your words.” They speedily 
took down every man his sack. The search began at the 
eldest, and proceeded to the youngest, when lo ! 44 the cup 
was found in Benjamin’s sack.” In the bitterness of 
their disappointment and anguish, “they rent their 
clothes. ’ ’ N o w troublesome memories came as cruel accu- 
sations. They now remembered how they stole J oseph 
and sold him to strangers — into slavery ; remembered how, 
with cold-hearted cruelty, they turned a deaf ear to the 
anguish of his soul, when with tears he besought them. 
Now their sin was working out its penalty. Ah ! there is 
no such thing as blotting out sin from the memory. On 
that faithful tablet it is engraven : “The sin of Judah is 
written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond : 
it is graven upon the table of their heart.” — Jer. 17 : 1. 
Nothing but the blood of Christ, the atoning Lamb of 
God, can wash it out. “The blood of Jesus Christ, his 
Son, cleanseth us from all sin.” — 1 John 1 : 7. 

Sorrowful and sad they “returned to the city. And 
Judah and his brethren came to Joseph’s house, and they 
fell before him on the ground.” The eleven sheaves 
again prostrate. “Joseph said, what deed is this that 
ye have done ? Wot ye not that such a man as I can di- 
vine?” Judah speaks. “What shall we say unto my 
lord? What shall we speak? How shall we cleanse 
ourselves ? God hath found out the iniquity of thy ser- 
vants ; behold, we are my lord’ s servants, both we, and 
he also with whom the cup is found.” Here was con- 
fession and the acknowledgment of the justice of the 
penalty to the guilty one. Here was the workings of a 
generous feeling, to share the penalty which would fall 
on Benjamin. Joseph replied, 4 4 God forbid that I should 
do so : but the man in whose hand the cup is found shall 
be my servant, and as for you, get you up in peace 
unto your father.” This to the brethren was a terrible 
decision. How could they return without Benjamin? 


JOSEPH. 


105 


“Judah came near unto him, and said, 0 my lord, let 
thy servant speak a word in my lord’s ear, and let not 
thine anger burn against thy servant, for thou art even 
as Pharaoh.” Then, in a masterly strain of impassioned 
eloquence, he narrates all the items of his interviews with 
the governor, and all the pleadings with the father to al- 
low Benjamin to accompany them. He tells how piteous- 
ly the father said, “ye know that my wife bare me two 
sons : the one went from me ; surely he is torn in pieces ; 
and I saw him not since. And if ye take this also from 
me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray 
hairs with sorrow to the grave.” Then with admirable 
force he represents the scene at home if they should re- 
turn without Benjamin. “Now, therefore, when I come 
to thy servant, my father, and the lad be not with us, see- 
ing that his life is bound up in the lad’s life, he will die: 
and thy servants shall bring down the gray heirs of thy 
servant, our father, with sorrow to the grave. Now, there- 
fore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad 
a bondman to my lord ; and let the lad go up with his 
brethren. For how shall I go up to my father, and the 
lad be not with me ? lest perad venture I see the evil that 
shall come on my father.” It was Judah who said unto 
his brethren, ‘ ‘ what profit is it if we slay our brother 
and conceal his blood % Come, let us sell him to the Ish- 
maelites.” He proposed to make a slave of Joseph. 
Now, by the wonder- workings of God’s providence, he is 
so entangled by his own commitments to his father and 
his brethren, that he is compelled to offer himself to be- 
come a slave to that brother whom he once hated and sold; 
but who is now the governor of Egypt. How changed 
the relations of these bro thers. Once J udah was authora- 
tive and Joseph pleaded. Now Joseph is in authority 
and Judah pleads. 

So full was the heart of Joseph, not of wrath, but of 
affection, that he “could not refrain himself before all 


106 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


them that stood by him. He caused all the attend- 
ants to retire. Then he wept aloud, and said unto his 
brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live?” So 
astounding was this revelation, that “ the brethren could 
not answer him.” “ They were troubled at his presence. 
And Joseph said unto his brethren, come near to me, I 
pray you. And they came near.” There was something 
in his courteous, loving manner which disarmed their fear. 



JOSEPH KEVEALS HIMSELF. 


“Iam Joseph, your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. 
How, therefore, be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, 
that ye sold me hither, for God did send me before you 
to preserve life.” The famine is not over. “There are 
five years in the which there shall neither be earing nor 
harvest.” “Haste ye and go up to my father and say 
unto him, thus saith thy son Joseph. God hath made 
me lord of all Egypt, come down unto me, tarry not.” 
“‘And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and be 
near me.” _“Tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, 


JOSEPH. 


107 


and of all that ye have seen, and ye shall haste and bring 
down my father hither. And he fell upon his brother 
Benjamin’ s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept. ’ ’ Sacred 
tears ! Moreover he kissed all his brethren and wept up- 
on them ! Noble hearted man ! Instead of looking upon 
the wrongs which had been inflicted upon him, by the 
wickedness of his brethren, he saw rather the kind work- 
ings of divine providence. In raising him to honor and 
power, he saw it not as an occasion for self-glorification, 
but as the opportunity to do good to the needy. So his 
heart was filled with love and forgiveness and blessings. 
Thus did his character shine out the brighter by reason 
of all the dark days of his earlier life. 

“ Spices crushed, their pungence yield, 

Trodden scents their sweets respire ; 

Would you have its strength revealed, 

Cast the incense in the fire. 

Thus the crushed and broken frame. 

Oft doth sweetest graces yield ; 

And through suffering, toil and shame, 

From the martyr’s keenest flame 
Heavenly incense is distilled.” 

How shall we explain this wonderful continued success 
of Joseph? The divine record answers: “ The Lord 
was with J oseph, and he was a prosperous man. ’ ’ Again, 
“The Lord was with Joseph, and showed him mercy.” 
Still again, “ The Lord was with him, and that which he 
did, the Lord made it to prosper.” — Gen. 39 : 2, 21, 23. 
Stephen also testified, “And the patriarchs, moved with 
envy, sold Joseph into Egypt ; but God was with him, 
and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him 
favor and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh ; and made him 
governor over Egypt and all his house.” — Acts 7 : 9, 10. 
The strong, steady light which the scriptures throw upon 
the history of Joseph impresses this lesson. 


108 


BIBLE PEIIST CIPLES. 


THE VALUE OF CHARACTER. 

It was character, in Joseph, that secured for him the 
confidence of those among whom he was thrown. His 
cheerful and prompt obedience, his truthfulness and 
honesty, his industry and strict attention to the business 
confided to him, his devotion to the welfare of those for 
whom he labored, and his unflinching piety made their 
mark. His character made him distinguished, and raised 
him from the lowest and most discouraging position to 
that of confidence and power. There is nothing that can 
successfully overbear and control its influence. A good 
character, with intelligence, is well-nigh omnipotent. It 
will outlive fraud and falsehood, and all the combina- 
tions of wickedness. It will, sooner or later, crowd the 
man forward to the confidence and respectful trust of his 
fellow-men. Potiphar honored and trusted Joseph be- 
cause of his character. The jailor, though he received 
Joseph under a cloud of shame, still honored and trusted 
him, because his true character scattered the heavy clouds 
and placed him in prominent conspicuity. It was the 
character which came with Joseph, that commended him 
to the confidence and affection of Pharaoh, and made him 
the lord and governor of Egypt. “A good name is bet- 
ter than precious ointment.” — Ecc. 7 : 1. “A good name 
is rather to be chosen than great riches.” — Prov. 22 : 1. 
Said the infamous Col. Charteris, “ I would give £10,000 
($50,000) for a character, because I could make £20,000 
($100,000) by it. 

It is recorded of David, “ that he behaved himself wise- 
ly in all his ways, and the Lord was with him.” — 1 Sam. 
18 : 14. Of Joshua, it is written, “ So the Lord was with 
J oshua, and his fame was noised through all the country. 5 ’ 
Josh. 6 : 27. And of Uzziah, that “ as long as he sought 
the Lord, God made him to prosper.” It was the deter- 


JOSEPH. 


109 


mined piety and good character of Daniel, that gave him 
snch power in the court and councils of the king. In all 
the cases where it is said that God was with them, and 
that they were prospered, they were persons whose char- 
acters were good, whose principles of action were right, 
and who stood nobly by their principles, in times of trial, 
and were persons whom God could consistently approve 
and bless. 


u Commit thy way to God, 

The weight that makes thee faint ; 
Worlds are to him no load ! — 

To him breathe thy complaint, 

He, who for winds and clouds 
Maketh a pathway free ; 

Through wastes or hostile crowds, 
Can make a way for thee.” 


What is character \ It is the impression which a man, 
by his habits and actions, makes upon other minds. As 
one step does not make a path, so one act does not form 
a character. As the path is made by a series of repeated 
steps, so the character is formed by a series of repeated 
acts. The daily habits of a man, like his foot-prints, 
leave the traces which mark the true direction of his life. 
Thus, every man inevitably carries with him, and leaves 
behind him, those traces and evidences of his temper and 
principles, which decide his character. Whilst a wicked 
man is a disseminating power for evil, a truly religious 
man is always and necessarily, a positive influence for 
good. Keligion was designed to give eminence and value, 
and permanency to character, so that the influence of that 
character may be for good and good only. It lives after 
the man is dead. “Abel being dead yet speaketh.” — 
Heb. 11 : 4. Joseph, though long since buried in She- 
chem, still lives ; for the impressions of his character are 


110 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


fresh and vigorous, and will carry their fresh life and 
power down to the most distant generations. 

How certain it is that all the plans of God will be car- 
ried out. That God had a plan concerning Joseph can- 
not be doubted. He gave intimations of his purpose in 
the dreams of Joseph which his brethren and his father 
understood to denote his future elevation and authority. 
His brethren, through envy and hatred, determined to 
thwart his promotion. But the measures they adopted 
were only the steps, under the providence of God, neces- 
sary for his elevation. For God works out his plans by 
the voluntary acts of men, pushing forward their own 
selfish purposes. “ Surely the wrath of man shall praise 
thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.” — Ps. 
76 : 10. Joseph recognized the hand of God in this strange 
drama of real life, 4 ‘ For God did send me before you to 
preserve life,” “to preserve you a posterity in the earth, 
and to save your life by a great deliverance. God hath 
made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, 
and ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” 


“ There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, 
Rough-hew them as we will.” . 


“The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the 
rivers of water : he turneth it, whithersoever he will.” — 
Prov. 21 : 1. 

How certain it is that concealed iniquity will be reveal- 
ed. It was wicked in the brethren to indulge envy and 
hatred, and to sell Joseph. It was wicked in them to 
cover their crime by falsehood. It was wicked in them 
to deceive their father, and with hypocritical speech and 
tears, and endeavor to comfort him. More than twenty 
years pass on without one word from or about Joseph. 
As their guilt and deception had slumbered so long ; and 
as no disagreement among themselves had led to any dis- 


JOSEPH. 


Ill 


closure, they may have concluded that it would never be 
known on earth. We know from the history that it was 
all brought to light. Recall the dates. Joseph was sev- 
enteen years old when he was sold. He was thirty years 
old when he stood before Pharaoh. Thus for thirteen 
years he was a slave. A part of this time a prisoner. 
There were seven years of plenty. Two years of famine 
had expired. These figures make full twenty-two years 
before the long-smothered guilt of these brethren blazed 
up and convicted them of their crime, and plunged them 
into anguish and trouble. Who can be sure of his secret 
so long as God has the turning of all the wheels of provi- 
dence % He may, at any moment, either hunt the sinner 
up in his hiding place, or throw out significant revelations 
which, as conducting threads, find one end fastened to 
“thou art the man.” Or he may so weave around him 
the web of his providence, as to entrap him ; or he may 
touch his conscience with his finger of fire, and compel 
him to disclose his carefully kept secret. If not discov- 
ered, as was the sin of the brethren, in this life, where 
penitence and confession, and the applied blood of Christ, 
may cleanse and save, it certainly will at the judgment. 
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with 
every secret thing, whether it be good or evil.”— Eccl. 
12 : 14. Then every sin will have an owner. Then the 
disclosure will not be for repentance and mercy, but for 
conviction, for condemnation, for shame and eternal ruin. 
“Be sure your sin will find you out.” — Numb. 32 : 23. 

How certainly God will take care of the character of 
those who trust in him. Joseph was poor and friendless 
when he was brought into Egypt and sold as a slave to 
Potiphar. His good character secured him the confidence 
of his master. Soon a dark, very dark cloud envelops 
him in shame and disgrace. A vile, wicked woman, fail- 
ing in her seductive offers, to cover her own shame, charges 
him with the vilest of crimes. He is cast into prison, 


112 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


where for years he lies dishonored under this f onl charge. 
In due time God, by the wonderful workings of his provi- 
dence, brought him forth from the prison purified from 
all suspicion of crime, and elevated him to the second 
place in the empire of Egypt. This is only a sample case, 
for God never loses sight of and care for the character of 
those who trust in him. Though for a time, that he may 
prove their character, and discipline them for higher ser- 
vice, he may allow false charges to gather their dark 
shadows around them, still if they continue faithful, he 
“will bring forth their righteousness as the light, and 
their judgment as the noon-day.” — Ps. 37: 6. “Com- 
mit thy way unto the Lord ; trust also in him ; and he 
shall bring it to pass.” — Ps. 37:5. “Wherefore, let 
them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the 
keeping of their souls to him in well-doing as unto a faith- 
ful creator.” — 1 Pet. 4 : 10. The men who stop working, 
that they may defend their character against the false 
charges of the wicked, will find ample employment for 
life. For wicked men, with persevering ingenuity, can 
and will multiply their charges if they see that they dis- 
comfort and annoy. Thus they entice good men away 
from their proper work in the vineyard of the Lord. In 
this way the great enemy paralyzes the executive power 
of many who might be of great use in the church of our 
Lord. They seem to be so proud of their good name, 
their fair reputation, that they regard it as the most pre- 
cious thing. The history of the church shows that, where 
good men work on, doing good, they soon live down the 
evil reports, and thus convince even the wicked of the in- 
corruptible excellency of their characters. Whitfield, the 
intrepid, 

“ Stood pilloried on infamy’s high stage, 

And bore the pelting scorn of half an age ; 

The very butt of slander, and the blot 
For every dart that malice ever shot.’* 


JOSEPH. 


113 


“ Now truth perform thine office : waft aside 
The curtain drawn by prejudice and pride ; 
Reveal, the man is dead, to wandering eyes 
This more than monster in his proper guise. 

He loved the world that hated him : the tear 
That dropped upon his bible was sincere : 
Assailed by scandal and the tongue of strife, 

His only answer was a blameless life.” — Cowpee. 


It was character that forced Joseph up through slavery, 
malignant, false accusations, and prison dungeon, to the 
second place in the realm, wielding the resources of a 
vast empire. 

It was character that fitted the signers of the Declaration 
of Independence for the occasion, who by one bold act 
commenced the Revolution, and fixed the natal day of the 
great Republic. Their character for wisdom, integrity 
and courage gave them the confidence of their fellow-citi- 
zens. Their signatures were a massive inspiriting force as 
they pledged their lives, their property, and their sacred 
honor, to liberty and their country. They stood firm, like 
huge granite rocks, to beat back the angry surges of des- 
potism and wrong. It was their character that made their 
history. 

It was his character from early youth that brought 
Washington to the supreme command, the embodiment 
of hope and courage. It was character that made him 
firm, unyielding in the darkest hours of the Revolution, 
and forced him on to victory. It was character that made 
him the admired and respected of all nations, and that has 
handed him down to posterity as the Father of his Country. 

It was character that pushed Abraham Lincoln through 
all the dreary obscurities of his youth, and struggles of 
early manhood, onward to the highest gift of a confiding 
•oeoole. It was character that fitted him to s forvr * the shin 


114 


BIBLE PELN'CIPLES. 


of state safely through all the varying storms of the re- 
bellion, and save the Union. 

Let no one despond, for many a poor and obscure youth 
has, by his character, risen to opulence and influence. 
But how shall right character be secured ? 

“ Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way % By 
taking heed thereto according to thy word.” — Ps. 119 : 9. 
4 ‘ The entrance of thy words giveth light : it giveth under- 
standing to the simple.” — Ps. 119 : 130. “The fear of 
the Lord is the beginning of wisdom : a good understand- 
ing have all they that do his commandments : his praise 
end-ureth forever.” — Ps. Ill : 10. “In all thy ways ac- 
knowledge him, and he will direct thy paths.” — Prov. 3 : 6. 
“My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep 
my commandments. For length of days, and long life, 
and peace shall they add to thee. Let not mercy and 
truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck; write 
them upon the tablet of thine heart ; so shalt thou find 
favor and good understanding in the sight of God and 
man.” — Prov. 3 : 1-4. There is absolute safety in Christ, 
and no where else. 

“ Hold on thy way, with hope unchilled, 

By faith and not by sight ; 

And thou shalt own his word fulfilled, 

At eve it shall be light.” 

“ It shall come to pass, that at evening time there shall 
be light.” — Zech. 14 : 7. 


MOSES. 

Sanctified Talent the Rod of 
God, whereby we do 
Wonders. 


p. 115 


MOSES. 


SANCTIFIED TALENT THE ROD OF GOD, 
WHEREBY WE DO WONDERS. 


Moses, ever known as the great law-giver, was the son 
of Amram and Jochebed, of the tribe of Levi. He was 
born in Egypt, 1571 years B. C., being the younger brother 
of Miriam and Aaron. At the time of his birth the Hebrew 
people were sorely pressed by the cruelties heaped upon 
them by the Egyptians. The decree had gone forth from 
the king, that every son (of the Hebrews) that is born 
shall be cast into the river. The parents .seeing he was 
a ‘ 4 proper child,” a “goodly child,” and “were not 
afraid of the king’s commandment,” “hid him three 
months.” — Gen. 2 : 2, and Heb. 11 : 23. But when the 
mother “ could no longer hide him” from the vigilance 
of the king’s police, she was compelled to cast him into 
the river. Moved by some intangible influence, her ma- 
ternal love sought, by all practicable measures, to pre- 
serve the life of the child, whilst committing him to the 
waters, doubtless with the secret hope that a good provi- 
dence would preserve him. “ She took for him an ark of 
bulrushes, (papyrus,) and daubed it with slime and with 
pitch, and put the child therein ; and she laid it in the 
flags by the river’s brink.” Here, for the time being, he 
was safe. Lodged among the flags, the onward current 
of the river had no power to float him away. In the dark- 
ness of the night she could come and nourish and care for 


MOSES. 


117 


liim. She did not abandon her child, though perhaps 
unable to bear the sight, she retired from the immediate 
scene; she left a sentinel, for “his sister stood afar off,” 
so far as not to call attention to her or the ark of bul- 
rushes, but near enough to have her eye upon the spot, 
“to wit what would be done to him.” What prayers 
went up from the maternal bosom we are not told, though 
doubtless the yearnings of her burdened heart, that her 
child might be saved, were prayers that entered into the 
ear of God. The answer was speedy. “Before they 
call, I will answer ; and while they are yet speaking, I 
will hear.” — Isa. 65 : 24. God, who has access to all 
hearts, and whose providence is the executive of his plans, 
is never at a loss for instrumental agents to come to the 
front, and at the proper time. “And the daughter of 
Pharaoh came down to wash herself (bathe) at the river ; 
and her maidens walked along by the river’ s side ; and 
when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maids 
to fetch it.” Her curiosity was awakened. On opening 
this casket, she found in it a lovely child. “And behold 
the babe wept.” This appeal touched her heart, “and 
she had compassion on him. ’ ’ All the circumstances told 
her that this was one of the Hebrew children. For no 
law of the king’ s required the destruction of an Egyptian 
male child. When she “saw he was a proper child,” 
perfect and symmetrical in his form, and a ‘ ‘ goodly child, ’ ’ 
and “exceeding fair” to look upon, she determined, not- 
withstanding the cruel edict of her father, to adopt him. 
The sister, with affectionate vigilance, seeing the daughter 
of Pharaoh thus interested, and probably overhearing the 
discourse with the attendant slaves, came forward and 
“ said to Pharaoh’s daughter, shall I go and call to thee 
a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the 
child for thee ? And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, go. 
And the maid went and called the child’s mother. And 
Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, take the child away, 


118 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And 
the woman took the child and nursed it.” How wonder- 
ful are the ways of God. This mother sheltered this child 
as long as she could. When the time came that she could 
do no more, then the Lord brought deliverance, and gave 
back the child to the faithful mother. Gave him back 
with no attending fears, but protected from all harm by 
the sheltering care of the daughter of the king. “ Mine 
eyes are unto thee, O God, the Lord : in thee is my trust ; 
leave not my soul destitute.” — Ps. 141 : 8. “ The fear of 

man bringest a snare ; but whoso putteth his trust in the 
Lord shall be safe.” — Prov. 29 : 25. 

“And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pha- 
raoh’ s daughter, and he became her son. And she called 
his name Moses: because I drew him out of the water.” 
In the Coptic, mo, water, and ushe , to draw out. Jose- 
phus favors this origin of the name. The history of this 
distinguished man divides itself into three equal periods 
of forty years each. The first period beginning with his 
infancy extends to his flight into the land of Midian. How 
he was occupied during all these years the direct narra. 
tive does not inform us. From the discourse of Stephen 
just before his martyrdom, we learn, that “Moses was 
learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was 
mighty in words and deeds.” Brought up as a son of 
the princess, we can easily see him engaged in the pomp 
and parade and seductive influences of an idolatrous 
court. That he was trained in the best schools, we have 
assurance. Tradition holds that he was educated at Heli- 
opolis, being instructed in the Greek, Chaldee and Assy- 
rian literature, as also in mathematics. He was inducted 
into the priesthood. What is meant by “mighty in 
words and deeds” tradition explains “that he invented 
boats and engines for building ; instruments of war and 
hydraulics ; hieroglyphics and division of lands.” There 
are many other traditions recorded by Josephus, not, we 



PIIARAOn’s DAUGHTER. p. 119 . 


120 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


think, sufficiently reliable to put confidence in them. We 
doubt not that the time from his birth to his flight to Mi- 
dian was so spent as, by discipline and education, to fit 
him for the great work of his life. Large spaces are passed 
over by the direct history, which are partially supple- 
mented by the New Testament writers. “ And it came 
to pass in those days when Moses was grown,’ ’ “when he 
was full forty years old.” — Acts 7 : 23. “ When he was 

come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s 
daughter.” “By faith, choosing to suffer affliction with 
the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for 
a season, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches 
than the treasures of Egypt.” — Heb. 11 : 25, 26. Thus, 
not only from patriotic, but eminently from religious mo- 
tives, he identified himself with the depressed condition 
of his countrymen. The author of the epistle to the 
Hebrews says he was led “by faith.” “Now faith is the 
substance of things hoped for.” Moses relied with trust- 
ful confidence on the word of promise made to Abraham, 
and to Isaac, and to Jacob, that he would give unto the 
Hebrews the land of Canaan. “Faith is the evidence of 
things not seen.” Though not visible to his fleshly eye, 
he saw, by the eye of faith, the promised land, and con- 
fidently trusted that the land promised would be given 
to them. “Hope that is seen, is not hope: for what a 
man seetli, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope 

for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.” 

Bom. 8 : 24, 25. 

Moses went unto his brethren, and looked on their bur- 
den ; “and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one 
of his brethren.” He promptly made the cause his own. 
“ Seeing one of them suffer wrong he defended him, and 
avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyp- 
tian.”— Acts 7 : 24. “ Slew the Egyptian, and hid him in 

the sand.” Was this murder, or was it justifiable homi- 
cide ? The Egyptian was in the wrong, periling the life of 


MOSES. 


121 


the Hebrew. The wicked- strong crushing the innocent- 
weak. Not an intimation is given that Moses did wrong 
under the circumstances in slaying the Egyptian. “ For 
he supposed his brethren would have understood how 
that God by his hand would deliver them : but they un- 
derstood not.” — Acts 7: 25. “When he went out the 
second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove to- 
gether : and he said to him that did the wrong, wherefore 
smiteth thou thy fellow?” — Ex. 2: 13. “Saying, sirs, 



ORIENTAL SHEPHERDS. 


ye are brethren ; why do ye wrong one to another ? But 
he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, 
who made thee a ruler and a judge over us?” — Acts 7 : 
26, 27. ‘ ‘ Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the 

Egyptian ? And Moses feared and said, surely this thing 
is known.” Known to the authorities that he, a Hebrew, 
had slain an Egyptian. “ When Pharaoh heard this 
thing he sought to slay Moses.” This was another Pha- 
raoh, and not the father of the princess who had adopted 
him as her son. As there was no chance for a fair hear- 

6 


122 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


ing before the king, wlio so cruelly oppressed the Hebrews, 
“he fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land 
of Midian : and he sat down by a well.” — Ex. 2 : 15. A 
stranger, in a strange land. 


HOME IN MIDIAN. 

This weary stranger sat down by a well, known and oft 
frequented. It was surrounded by troughs for the water- 
ing of the flocks of the Bedouin herdsmen. Whilst thus 
seated, and sadly meditating upon his loneliness and the 
sudden reverses in his affairs, the seven daughters of the 
priest of Midian “came and drew water, and filled the 
troughs to water their father’ s flock. ’ ’ The Arabian shep- 
herds also came, and impatient, with lordly contempt for 
these women, rudely drove them away.” This act of 
violence stirred the manly chivalrous spirit of Moses, and, 
single-handed as he was, he “stood up and helped them, 
and watered their flocks.” 

This generous act so promptly and gratuitously per- 
formed, soon found its appropriate reward. It was a link 
in the chain of providences which held Moses. He is 
soon welcomed into the family and confidence of Reuel, 
the father of these seven maidens, the priest of Midian, 
the chief man of that country. Arriving home with the 
flock, unusually early, the father said, “how is it that ye 
are came so soon to-day 1” They state the facts. “ An 
Egyptian delivered us out of the hands of the shepherds, 
and also drew water enough for us and watered the flock.” 
So favorably did this generous act impress the father that 
he said, “and where is he? Why is it that ye have left 
the man? Call him that he may eat bread.” This was 
oriental hospitality. Thus it was when the servant of 
Abraham found the wife for Isaac. — Gen. 24 : 31. Here 
Moses found a comfortable home. 4 ‘ And Moses was con- 


MOSES. 


123 


tent to dwell with the man.” More than content. He 
was drawn by affection to one of these daughters. The 
father “gave Moses Zipporah, his daughter.” “She 
bare him a son, and he called his name Grershom, for he 



WOMEN DRAWING WATER. 


said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.” Here, 
for years, we leave Moses in all the comforts of a home. 
Carefully and faithfully tending the flock of his father- 
in-law. 

The condition of the Hebrews, during this interval of 


124 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


forty years, had not improved. An entire generation had 
passed away and a new generation had come, to place 
their shoulders under the increasingly oppressive bur- 
dens. The king, whose wrath drove Moses out of Egypt, 
had died. Another Pharaoh was now upon the throne. 
Another man, but not of another spirit. He also was a 
tyrant, and ruled with cruelty. But the cup of their suf- 
ferings was well-nigh full, and the time of their deliver- 
ance was at hand. “The children of Israel sighed by 
reason of the bondage, and they cried. ” The sighs and 
cries of the oppressed are prayers which touch the heart 
of God. “He shall deliver the needy when he crieth; 
the poor also, and him that hath no helper.” — Ps. 72 : 13. 
“Their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.” 


BONDAGE. 

During the latter period of the abode of the Israelites 
in Egypt, they were subjected to a bondage severe and 
oppressive. By reason of this bondage, it has been sup- 
posed that the Israelites were slaves ; the chattel property 
of the Egyptians. This impression is not sustained by a 
careful consideration of the facts recorded upon the in- 
spired page. The facts may be thus summarily stated : 

1. They were not sold to and held by the families of 
the Egyptians, but were a community by themselves. ‘ ‘ I 
will sever in that day the land of Goshen, where my 
people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there.” — Ex. 
8 : 22. “ Only in the land of Goshen, where the children 

of Israel were, there was no hail.” — Ex. 9 : 26. The 
specific directions for the passover, a lamb for each house, 
and the striking of the blood upon the two side-posts, and 
on the upper door-posts of the houses, is additional evi- 
dence that they were not held by Egyptians as chattels, 
but that they dwelt in their own houses. 


MOSES. 


125 


2. Their separate tribal rule was maintained, as appears 
from Ex. 6 : 14-25. We read of the “ officers of the chil- 
dren of Israel.” — Ex. 5 : 15 and 19. Also that Moses was 
commanded to gather the elders, to communicate to them, 
and through them to the people, the purpose of the Lord. 
— Ex. 3:1 6. Also that Moses called for all the elders of 
the people — Ex. 12 : 21. 

3. They had large possessions. This Pharaoh recog- 
nized when he said: “take your flocks and your herds, 
as ye have said, and be gone, and bless me also.” — Ex. 
12 : 32. In verse 38 it is said, “and flocks, and herds, 
even very much cattle.” 

4. They had plenty of food. “We sat by the flesh 
pots ; we did eat bread to the full.” — Ex. 16 : 3. “We 
remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely ; the 
cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, 
and the garlic.”— : Numb. 11 : 5. 

These four facts peremptorily exclude the idea of chat- 
tel slavery, as the condition of all the Hebrews. There 
doubtless were, especially of the poor, many exceptions 
to the condition set forth in the above facts. Nor do these 
facts prove that chattel slavery did not exist generally in 
Egypt. 

In what then did their hard bondage consist \ 

1. Whilst they were not the property, either of Egypt- 
ians, or of the king, they were the subjects of Pharaoh, 
who was an absolute and despotic monarch. By his sole 
authority they continued in Gfoshen. They could not 
remove from that province for any purpose, civil or re- 
ligious, without his permission. This is clear from the 
mission of Moses to Pharaoh, to let the people go for a 
religious service, and which Pharaoh promptly refused. 
—Ex. 3 : 18 ; 5 : 1, 2. 

2. Their rights as men and obedient subjects were dis- 
regarded, and they were oppressed. A new dynasty came 
into power, of which this Pharaoh was the head. He be- 


126 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES 


came jealous and suspicious of the Hebrews, because of 
their numbers, lest in case of war by the superceded 
dynasty, they might unite with the enemies of this dynasty. 
In the estimation of this monarch, it became a military 
necessity to cripple, nay, utterly to crush this dangerous 
power. “ Therefore they did set over them task-masters, 
to afflict them with burdens. And they built for Pharaoh 
treasure cities, Pithom. and Raamses. And made the 
children of Israel to serve with rigor — made their lives 
bitter with hard bondage, in mortar and brick, and in all 
manner of service in the field. All their service in which 
they made them serve was with rigor.” — Ex. 1 : 11-14. 

Instead of collecting the tribute of one-fifth of the in- 
crease of their land, according to the law established by 
Joseph, they took them from their homes and put them 
to making brick, an unaccustomed and degrading work ; 
they put them to impracticable tasks. . When Moses said 
to Pharaoh “let my people go,” he became more oppress- 
ive, that the work of crushing might go on more rapidly. 
The task-masters laid more work upon them — increased 
their burdens — required the tale of brick, but gave them 
no straw. — Ex. 5 : 7. Thus overworked and beaten, their 
spirits were crushed. 

One more bitter ingredient is added, which filled up to 
the full their cup of sorrow. “ But the more they afflict- 
ed them, the more they multiplied and grew.” — Ex. 1 : 12. 
This must be stopped. The edict of the king went forth 

to the midwives, “ if it be a son, then ye shall kill him.” 

Ex. 1 : 16. This caused their groans of anguish to pierce 
the skies, and move the wrath of God. 

Thus, by overtaxed labor, and by the intense anguish 
of their spirits, Pharaoh hoped so to waste them away, or 
so to enfeeble them that they would no longer be a power 
in the land. These cruel oppressions fell mainly upon the 
poor, who could not maintain their rights. This made 
the oppression the more mean and dastardly. It is hard- 


MOSES. 


127 


1 y probable that the rich were thus driven and beaten, 
and oppressed by the task-masters. If they were exempt 
because of their wealth, and they took no stand against 
the tyranny over their poor brethren, it shows how craven 
was their spirit, and how selfish and hardened were their 
hearts. 

It was the cry of the poor that entered into the ear of 
God. It was because of their wrongs, and the determined 
refusal of Pharaoh to do right, that the terrific plagues 
came with such crushing power, and that the authors of, 
and sympathizers with this great wickedness were swept 
away with sudden destruction. Thus God proclaimed 
himself the friend of the poor, and the enemy of oppres- 
sion. How dangerous to oppress the poor, or to have sym- 
pathy with those who do. “He shall judge the poor of 
the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and 
shall break in pieces the oppressor.” — Ps. 72 : 4. 

And God heard their groanings, and God remembered 
his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. 
And God looked upon all the children of Israel, and God 
had respect to them. 

The time for deliverance for the oppressed Hebrews 
having come, the necessary agents must be instructed, 
commissioned and sent fort*h. The way in which Moses 
was called from his peaceful retirement into responsible, 
active service is marked by extraordinary manifestations. 
“How Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, 
the priest of Midian : and he led the flock to the back 
side of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even 
to Horeb.” Here occurred an unlooked for demonstra- 
tion which forcibly attracted the attention of Moses. 
“And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a 
flame of fire out of the midst of a bush,” He looked and 
beheld a familiar well-known bush in a light blaze. As 
he looked, this strange appearance surprised him, “the 
bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.” 



THE BURNING BUSH. P- 128 









MOSES. 


129 


Though the flame was constant and intense still the bush 
remained unaltered. 44 And Moses said, I will now turn 
aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” 
His curiosity was awakened, an element which the Lord 
often uses to arrest and fix attention. “When the Lord 
saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of 
the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.” Hid he 
know from anything peculiar that this was the voice of 
God \ Or did he suppose that it was the voice of some 
human person calling to him. Whatever was his suppo- 
sition, his answer was prompt and fearless. 4 4 Here am I. ’ ’ 
Then came the voice again from the fire so distinctive and 
authoratative that he could not doubt that it was God 
who spake. “Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes 
from off thy feet ; for the place whereon thou standeth is 
holy ground.” This was designed to lift his thoughts 
from wonder and amazement to reverence and worship. 
It is as though the voice had said, thou art in the temple 
of God, it is his fire that burns in the bush, therefore, 
reverently hear what the Lord thy God will say unto 
thee. 4 4 1 am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, 
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” This nearness 
of the Holy One so oppressed Moses and filled him with 
awe that his heart quailed. “He hid his face; for he 
was afraid to look upon God.” This must not last, for it 
would soon exhaust and consume. Then 44 the Lord said, 
I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are 
in Egypt, and have heard their cry, by reason of their 
task-masters ; for I know their sorrows. And I am come 
down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, 
and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land, 
flowing with milk and honey.” What commingled emo- 
tions of patriotic thanks and of adoring gratitude and 
wonder must have stirred the heart of Moses. Sad when 
he thought upon the oppressions of his people ; joyful 
and confident because of the divine assurance that de- 


130 


BIBLE principles:; 


liverance was nigh, and that Israel should be a people 
much beloved and prosperous. How all the dark clouds 
of the past and present are swept away, and all the future 
becomes illuminated with brightness and glory. This 
was an hour of high and sacred exultation, in which the 
developments of centuries were condensed into one bright, 
intensely bright moment. There are but few men who 
can have such an experience. Moses had it. At Horeb 
he looked back over centuries of darkness and disappoint- 
ed hopes. He looked onward over centuries of promises 
fulfilled, and of a nationality, religious and secular, glori- 
ous beyond all parallel. It was not mete that he should 
long revel in this luxury of delight. This is a world of 
action and of responsible labor. For forty years he had 
lived in Midian in the peaceful occupation of a shepherd. 
Thus long he had the quiet enjoyments of home. This 
must end. The man so wonderfully saved in infancy ; so 
singularly trained in all the learning and wisdom of the 
Egyptians, and so disciplined by the hardships and ex- 
posures of the shepherd’ s life, must devote those active and 
disciplined powers to the cause of God and humanity. 


THE COMMISSION. 

The voice from the fire spake again : “ Come now, there- 
fore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest 
bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of 
Egypt.” Was this call, with its vast responsibilities, 
too sudden and too crushing ? or did it wake up painful 
memories of the past, when the people rejected his gener- 
ous interpositions, and when he fled from the wrath of 
the Pharaoh then on the throne % At any rate he was not 
self-seeking. He did not, through mad ambition, rush 
forward to assume the position of command. “ Moses 
said unto God, who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, 


MOSES. 


131 


and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out 
of Egypt ?” He thought possibly of his early and pam- 
pered life in the Egyptian court — he thought also of his 
quiet shepherd’s life, and judged himself incompetent 
for this honorable and responsible work. Looking at 
himself alone he was wholly incompetent. He was not 
rash to push himself forward. “Now the man Moses 
was very meek, above all the men which were upon the 
face of the earth.” — Numb. 12 : 3. Humility was kin- 
dred to the spirit of meekness. The Lord did not rebuke 
him for his low estimate of himself, but said, “certainly 
I will be with thee.” The Lord never commissions a per- 
son for special service without the pledge of his presence 
. and necessary cooperative aid. “I am with you always, 
even unto the end of the world.” — Mat. 28 : 20. This as- 
surance should have been enough. But Moses, from 
past experience, knew that human hearts are strangely 
perverse. He knew that the Hebrews, notwithstanding 
their groanings because of their task-masters, would be 
suspicious, and would demand the most indubitable evi- 
dence of a divine commission. “And Moses said unto 
God, behold, when I am come unto the children of Israel, 
and shall say unto them, the God of your fathers hath 
sent me unto you ; and they shall say to me, what is his 
name? What shall I say unto them?” “I am that I 
am. Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel, I am 
hath sent me unto thee.” “ Go, and gather the elders of 
Israel together, and say unto them, the Lord God of your 
fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of J acob, ap- 
peared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and 
seen that which is done in Egypt. I will bring you out 
of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites. 
And they shall hearken unto thy voice.” He gives him 
the message which he and the elders are to bring to the 
king, “let us go, we beseech thee, three days journey in- 
to the wilderness that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our 


132 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


God.” That Moses and they might not be discouraged 
by the first refusal he tells him, “the king will not let 
you go. And I will smite Egypt : after that he will let 
you go.” 

Were not these pledges of the truth-keeping God enough 
to overcome all the timidity and distrust of Moses ? 
Strange as it may seem, they were not : all these failed. 
“And Moses answered, “they will not believe me, nor 
hearken unto my voice ; for they will say, the Lord hath 
not appeared unto thee.” This was stubborn unbelief, 
for God had expressly told him, “they shall hearken to 
thy voice.” A new generation, different from those who 
rejected you, are now in Egypt. The Lord’ s time has now 
come for their deliverance, and he is able to turn their 
hearts to receive the message and to follow in the lead of 
his messenger. 

How patient is the Lord, and how condescendingly does 
he bear with the man he is commissioning for a noble mis- 
sion. 


THE ROD. 

To remove the last vestige of unbelief, and to put strong 
courage into the heart of Moses, “ the Lord said unto him, 
what is that in thine hand ? And he said , a Rod. ’ ’ This 
is my shepherd’s staff — the symbol of my occupation. 
What of it \ It is by this I will arm thee with power and 
make thy faith strong. Do then as I tell thee. “Cast 
it on the ground.” “He cast it on the ground, and it 
became a serpent.” This was unexpected and frightful, 
“and Moses fled from before it.” The Lord called him 
back, and said 4 ‘put forth thy hand and take it by the tail. ’ ’ 
This required more of confidence and courage. By this 
the Lord would test the firmness of his courage and the 
promptness of his obedience. He may have thought 


MOSES. 


133 


what will come next if I seize this serpent by the tail. It 
is the Lord’s command, I will obey. # “ He put forth his 
hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand.” 
Strange ! passing strange ! And wherefore is this ? It is 
that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers 
hath appeared unto thee.” As though God had said, 
there shall be left no pretext for unbelief either in you or 
the people, therefore, obey me this once, “put now thy 
hand into thy bosom.” He obeyed. But when “he took 
it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.” Rapid 
and strange work this. How every thought and feel- 
ing, commingled with fear and hope was concentrated 
upon this leprous hand. Was this the penalty of his 
past unbelief ? Must he carry it with him, incurable, to 
the grave ? How sad, how deeply sad must have been 
his heart. By this leprous hand shut out from the fellow- 
ship of friends and relatives, a lonely one, but still in the 
hands of God. As his saddened heart was gathering 
around it the deep gloom of despondency — the voice from 
the fire speaks, “put thine hand into thy bosom again.” 
Quickly, and with a willing heart, he obeyed, and “put 
his hand into his bosom again,” when, perhaps, with 
tremulous haste, he “ plucked it out of his bosom, behold, 
it was turned again as his other flesh.” Now doubt, and 
fear, and gloom, gave place to trust, and confidence and 
joy. Thus armed, go to the people. “If they will not 
believe these two signs, neither hearken to thy voice,” 
then “thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour 
it upon the dry land ; and the water which thou taketh 
out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.” 
Is not this enough to silence every doubt ? Are not these 
credentials sufficiently strong and convincing to authenti- 
cate him to any people? This Moses could not deny. 
Yet he is not ready to accept the commission. He falls 
back upon his personal disqualifications. “0 my Lord 
I am not eloquent — but am slow of speech, and of a slow 


134 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


tongue.” This implies that success would depend upon 
the power of persuasion, and that as this power had not 
been conferred upon him, he was not the proper person 
to send. There is an imperativeness in the responsive 
questions. “Who hath made man’s mouth? or who 
maketh the dumb or deaf, or the seeing or the blind? 
Have not I the Lord? How therefore go, and I will be 
with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say.” 
What more could he ask ? What greater assurance of 
success could he have ? What now could hinder his 
prompt and cheerful acceptance of the commission. Yet 
with a strange persistence he said, u O my Lord send, I 
pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.” 
Was this the language of submission and acquiescence? 
or did it throw off the responsibility from himself ? There 
is some evidence that it was the latter. The margin reads 
“send by the hand of him whom thou shouldest im- 
plying that the Lord was mistaken in selecting him. 
There is ground to fear that the heart of Moses was not 
quite right in this matter, for it is added, “the anger of 
the Lord was kindled against Moses.” He might have 
cast him aside in his anger. But his long suffering pa- 
tience bore with him. He, who readeth the heart truly, 
may have seen there not distrust of God, but that dis- 
trust of himself, which is the out-growth of genuine hu- 
mility. To cheer and comfort, he gave him his brother 
Aaron as joint commissioner, saying, ‘ ‘ I know that he can 
speak well — behold he cometh forth to meet thee, and 
when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. And 
thou shalt speak unto him, and put words into his mouth ; 
and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and 
will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy 
spokesman unto the people ; and he shall be to thee instead 
of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.” 
With caution, and with the parrying power of many ex- 
cuses, Moses came to his decision ; but when he did com- 
mit himself to the work he stood to it firmly and nobly. 


MOSES. 


135 


“Thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith 
thou shalt do signs.” “Go, return into Egypt; for all 
the men are dead which sought thy life.” How simple 



is the commission, and to all human estimation, how fee- 
ble and inadequate the agency. The power was not in 
the rod as the visible agent, but in God who selected it. 
Hence it is appropriately called 4 ‘ the rod of god.” The 


136 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


subsequent history demonstrates the efficiency of this rod. 
In no instance where it was called into service, did it fail 
to achieve all that was required of it. 

Moses immediately “returned to Jethro, his father-in- 
law.’ ’ He doubtless told him all that had transpired, and 
said, 4 4 let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren 
which are in Egypt, and see if whether they be yet alive. 
Jethro said, go in peace.” This meant, my blessing go 
with you, and may God prosper you. So 4 4 Moses took 
his wife and his sons, and returned to the land of Egypt.” 
A single significant incident is mentioned: 44 And Moses 
took the rod of God in his hand.” Without it he was 
utterly powerless, but with it always invincible. 44 1 can 
do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” — 
Phil. 4 : 13. 


BEFORE PHARAOH. 

44 And when thou goest to return into Egypt, see that 
thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh which I have 
put in thine hands. ” 44 Tell him that Israel is my son, even 

my first-born.” Tell him to 44 let my son go that he may 
serve me.” Be not discouraged, for he will not let the 
people go. Then tell him of my judgments with which 
I shall afflict him and his people. His heart will harden 
as he resists, but do thou persevere as I shall* instruct 
thee. 

44 And Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, thus 
saith the Lord God of Israel, let my people go, that they 
may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. ’ ’ The prompt 
and haughty reply was, 44 Who is the Lord, that I should 
obey his voice, to let Israel go ? I know not the Lord, 
neither will I let Israel go.” 44 They said, the God of the 
Hebrews hath met with us : let us go, we pray thee, three 
days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice unto the Lord 


MOSES. 


137 


our God.” They enforce this request by a special argu- 
ment, ‘ ‘ lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with sword. ’ ’ 
This plea touched not the heart of the king. He saw in 
it nothing to move his pity, but much to excite suspicion 
that it would breed greater discontent, and result in in- 
surrection. He denied the petition, and commanded the 
task-masters to inflict still heaver burdens upon the He- 
brews. This is the logic of tyrants. If heavy burdens pro- 
duce discontent, double the burdens, and crush out all 
hope. Moses was grievously disappointed. He thought 
that the deliverance would be prompt and complete. In- 
stead of lessening the burdens under which the people 
groaned, they are terribly increased, and this by reason of 
the request to let the people go for so limited a period as 
three days, simply for the purposes of worship. “And 
he said, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people ? 
Why is it that thou hast sent me ? For since I came to 
Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this 
people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.” 
Ah Moses ! thy knowledge of human nature was very 
small, and thy trust in God very faint, or thou wouldst not 
thus fret and complain. 

“Blind unbelief is sure to err, 

And scan his works in vain ; 

God is his own interpreter, 

And he will make it plain.” 

The oppressions of a people may be very great, but not 
yet great enough to make them unanimous and willing 
to break away and follow a new leader they know not 
whither. “Moses spake unto the children of Israel, but 
they hearkened not for anguish of spirit, and for cruel 
bondage.” The strong will of a tyrant is not conquered 
by modest petitions. Stronger arguments must assail his 
selfishness, must move either his ambition for larger 
power, or alarm his fears by the threatening of evil. 


138 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


The Lord was patient and bore with the complaints of 
Moses. He again tones np his courage : “How shalt thou 
see what I will do unto Pharaoh : for with a strong hand 
shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive 
them out of his land.” “Go in, speak unto Pharaoh, 
king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of 
his land.” Moses, still multiplying excuses, said, “be- 
hold the children of Israel,” the most deeply interested 
party, the party to be benefitted, “have not hearkened 
unto me : how then shall Pharaoh hear me V 9 The Lord 
reiterates his command to speak unto the children and to 
Pharaoh. “ Thou shalt speak all that I command thee; 
and Aaron thy brother shall speak to Pharaoh that he 
send the children of Israel out of his land.” “And the 
Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch 
forth my hand upon Egypt and bring out the children 
of Israel from among them.” 


THE ROD POWER. 

“ And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they 
did as the Lord had commanded.” To their demand, 
made in the name of God, the proud monarch may have 
said, you claim to come to me with a message from your 
God, whom you represent as all-powerful; what credentials 
do you bring \ If he is what you claim for him, and you 
are his messengers, what sign can you give ? “ Show a 

miracle for you.” “The rod was cast down before Pha- 
raoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.” They 
may have seen wonder and fear working in the counte- 
nance of the king, but soon it becomes settled and firm. 
Ah ! do you think thus to impose upon me with your 
concerted trick of jugglery, and call this a miracle, a 
divine seal to your commission % Ho ! there, attendants, 
bring hither my wise men and sorcerers, and let them uour 





140 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


contempt upon this vile imposition in the name of religion. 
“The magicians of Egypt they also did in like manner 
with their enchantments. For they cast down every man 
his rod, and they became serpents.” With scornful de- 
rision he may have exclaimed, see, your single rod it is 
true has become a serpent, but my wise men have cast 
down many rods, and each has become a serpent. What 
say you to this ? Your God is not equal to my magicians. 
This indeed was an unlooked for dilemma. What could 
it mean ? Had God abandoned us at the outset of our 
mission ? Does he mean to expose us to the contempt of 
our own people, and the wrath of the king ? This per- 
plexity was short-lived. Lo ! there is a mighty agitation 
among the serpents. The single serpent that came of the 
rod of Moses and Aaron has seized and devoured every 
one of the many serpents which came of the rods of the 
magicians. So there remained only one serpent as the 
attesting miracle. Then taking this conquering serpent 
by the tail it became a rod again. Truly this was the rod 
of God. Did Pharaoh believe ? Ho, for evidence resist- 
ed hardens the heart. 


THE ROD AND BLOOD. 

On a subsequent morning, when Pharaoh went to the 
river to bathe, Moses and Aaron, at the divine command, 
met him there and again asked that the people might go 
and serve the Lord in the wilderness. They stated that 
a new seal to their commission would be given. The rod 
“is lifted up and it smote the waters that were in the 
river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his ser- 
vants, and all the waters that were in the river were turn- 
ed to blood. And the fish that were in the river died* 
and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of 
the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all 


MOSES. 


141 


the land of Egypt.” This was a fearful calamity, appeal- 
ing directly to the comfort and life of all the inhabitants, 
and well calculated to produce a public sentiment which 
even a tyrant must respect. Again the magicians are 
called and in a very limited degree produced blood 4 ‘with 
their enchantments.” In the case of the serpents the 
multitude was with them. But here “the rod of God” 
smote all the waters. By the abundance, the universality, 
and the simultaneousness of the change, the evidence was 
clear that there could be no collusion to deceive. It was 
an attestation that the rod was indeed “the rod of God.” 
Did this convince the king? No. “Neither did he 
hearken unto them.” “He turned and went to his 
house ; neither did he set his heart to this also.” Thus, 
by unwillingness to understand and obey, his heart was 
hardened. 


ROD AND FROGS. 

Seven day s v Pharaoh had for reflection and the gather- 
ing up the abounding evidence of this miracle of blood. 
But there was no relenting. Again Moses and Aaron 
stood before the king with the same message, “let my 
people go, that they may serve me. If thou refuse to let 
them go, I will smite all thy borders with frogs.” He 
refused. The rod is lifted and stretched “over the 
streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and the frogs 
came up and covered the land of Egypt.” They came in 
countless multitudes, they moved in every direction, they 
pervaded all habitations, they nestled down in the knead- 
ing troughs; they hid themselves in the ovens; they 
penetrated to the bed chambers ; they leaped upon the 
beds. No man could rejoice over his neighbor ; the king 
could find no relief. Though his servants beat them 
down and swept away the dead, the frogs were too many 
for them— they were invincible. Again the king sum- 


142 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


mons Ms wise men, and his magicians “did so with their 
enchantments, and brought up frogs upon the land of 
Egypt.” They could bring up some. But they could 



neither destroy the myriads that the rod had brought, 
nor stay the forthcoming of other myriads, nor could 
they turn back the moving masses to the waters from 


I'liOGS. 


MOSES. 


143 


whence they came. Here their power quailed before the 
power of the rod of God. Hopeless and helpless “Pha- 
raoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, entreat the 
Lord that he may take away the frogs from me, and from 
my people : and I will let the people go that they may do 
sacrifice nnto the Lord.” They did entreat the Lord, and 
the frogs died out of the houses, out of the villages, and 
out of the fields. 


BOD AMD LICE. 

“When Pharaoh saw that there was respite” he fell 
back from his promise, and thus 4 4 he hardened his heart. ’ 9 
N ow without an appeal to the unscrupulous monarch, 
who kept not his word of honor, the command is, 4 4 stretch 
out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land that it may be- 
come lice throughout all the land of Egypt. ” 4 4 It became 
lice in man, and in beast.” All the dust became alive. 
Each particle became a nuisance. The foot of every man 
and beast trod upon and stirred them up. Every wind 
that blew drove on vast clouds of this loathsome vermin, 
penetrating every house, falling upon all persons, and all 
viands, thus surrounding and pervading the people with 
a plague oppressive and invincible. The magicians are 
summoned. Now their enchantments fail them. 4 4 They 
said unto Pharaoh, this is the finger of God.” Their rods 
were not as 4 4 the rod of God,” themselves being the 
judges. Here the divine power stood out high and clear 
above all human s kill . Hid Pharaoh bow humbly and 
submissively before this demonstration of the divine pow- 
er ? No ! His broken promise, and sullied honor stung 
his proud heart. He would not again so humble himself 
as to seek for relief. 44 He hearkened not unto them,” 
and so 4 4 his heart was hardened.” 


144 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


ROD AND FLIES. 

Hitherto, so far as the record is concerned, the Hebrews 
were not exempt from the afflictions which the rod brought 
upon the land. This was necessary in order to convince 
them that God was thus working through Moses and 
Aaron. But now for their sakes, and to confirm their 
confidence in their leaders, a discrimination must be made 
in their favor. This discrimination would also the more 
strongly impress the king that the Hebrews were the 
favored people of God, and that he was intent upon their 
deliverance. 

“ And the Lord said unto Moses, rise up early in the 
morning, and stand before Pharaoh ; lo, he cometh forth 
to the water, and say unto him, thus saith the Lord, let 
my people go, that they may serve me.” Tell him that 
if he still refuses I will send upon him another plague 
which shall greviously afflict his people, but which shall 
not touch the Hebrews. “ I will sever in that day the 
land of Goshen in which my people dwell that no swarms 
of flies shall be there ; to the end that thou mayest know 
that I am the Lord on the midst of the earth. And I will 
put a division between my people and thy people. To- 
morrow shall this sign be.” 

Again the rod of God works out the divine purpose. 

4 ‘And there came a grevious swarm of flies, or as the 
margin reads, a mixture of noisome beasts, into the house 
of Pharaoh, and into his servants’ houses, and into all the 
land of Egypt, the land was corrupted by reason of the 
swarms of flies.” But there was an impassable, though 
invisible, wall around Goshen. Whilst the Egyptians 
writhed under the swarming multitude of flies, not a soli- 
tary one was permitted to cross the border line. These 
inferior creatures obeyed the law of their creator. Thus 
triumphant and discriminating was the power of the rod. 


MOSES. 


145 


Pharaoh felt its power. He called for Moses and for 
Aaron, and said “go ye, sacrifice to your God in the 
land.” This was a proposed compromise. You may 
sacrifice to your God, but it must be in Egypt. This was 
an act of toleration, a favor granted by a guilty worm of 
the dust to other worms of the dust to worship God. 
Neither Pharaoh nor any earthly government has this 
power. The right to worship God, after the dictate of 
his conscience, is the inherent and inalienable right of 
every human being, which he derives directly from God. 
Toleration is not freedom. It is sufferance. It denies 
the right of free worship and, as a matter of favor, allows 
the subjects of his realm to worship God. Moses, in the 
true dignity of religious freedom, would not be a party to 
such a degrading compromise. Mildly, but firmly, he 
said “ it is not mete so to do.” It would be an abomina- 
tion to God to offer the Egyptian sacrifices to him. It 
would be an abomination to the Egyptians should they 
offer to God their own sacrifices. This would stir up re- 
ligious antagonisms. They will stone us. Moses firmly 
demands perfect freedom of worship. “We will go three 
days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord 
our God as he shall command us.” Pharaoh, conscious 
that the power of God was upon him, relents a little. 4 4 1 
will let you go, that ye may sacrifice to the Lord your 
God in the wilderness: only ye shall not go very far.” 
Not three days journey — only not very far. Plainly not 
out of sight— not beyond the reach of my troops. He 
now petitions, 4 4 entreat for me.” Moses promised to in- 
tercede with the Lord for him, but adds, let not Pharaoh 
deal deceitfully any more in not letting the people go to 
sacrifice to the Lord. ’ ’ In answer to the prayers of Moses, 
the swarms of flies were removed, so that 44 there remained 
not one.” 44 The heart is deceitful above all things, and 
desperately wicked.” The pressure being off 44 Pharaoh 
hardened his heart, and would not let the people go.” 

7 


146 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


THE MURRAIN. 

Yet heavier must come the hand of the Lord. This 
proud monarch must be made to feel that there is a greater 
than he. Moses is sent again to Pharaoh with the de- 
mand unaltered, “let my people go, that they may serve 
me.” Tell him that a grievous murrain shall fall upon all 
the cattle of every kind of the Egyptians, whilst “nothing 
shall die of all that is the children of Israel.” Time 
was given for reflection. “To-morrow the Lord shall do 
this thing in the land.” How desperately wicked is the 
heart hardened by unbelief and disobedience. 4 4 Because 
sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, 
therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them 
to do evil.” — Ecc. 8 : 11. God might, with perfect ease, 
have destroyed Pharaoh and have brought to the throne 
a man of different spirit. But his plan was to instruct 
and prepare his people for their exodus, and to work up 
the people of Egypt to the strong desire to have the He- 
brews depart, therefore he still bore with Pharaoh. This 
threatened visitation, which was fully carried out, did not 
alter the determination of the king. When he 4 4 sent and 
ascertained that not one of the cattle of the Israelites was 
dead,” he quarreled with the sovereignty of God, which 
made a difference between the Hebrews and the Egyptians. 
44 And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not 
let the people go.” 


THE BOILS. 

Possibly the formal interposition of "the'Yod'was^dis- 
pensed with in the plague of the murrain, and of some 
that followed, lest Pharaoh, accustomed to the tricks of 
the magicians, might suppose there was still some strange 


MOSES. 


147 


legerdemain connected with the rod. Moses and Aaron 
are now directed : ‘ ‘ Take to you handfuls of ashes of the 
furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in 
the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in 
all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth 
with blains upon man and upon beast, throughout all the 
land of Egypt.” This they did. The magicians again 
tried their enchantments, but they “ could not stand be- 
fore Moses because of the boils ; for the boil was upon 
the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.” Here again 
the discrimination is made in favor of the Hebrews. This 
renewed act of sovereignty which mercifully shielded the 
Israelites, excited the more determined stubbornness of 
the king, and facilitated the hardening of his heart. And 
he refused to let the people go. 


THE HAIL. 

Moses is commanded “ to rise up early in the morning,” 
and to reiterate the demand to let the people go. There 
is no change in God 5 s message, for his plan was one. To 
make the Hebrews willing to go, to make the Egyptians 
urgent to have them go, and so to enclose the king with 
influences as to gain his consent, another plague is threat- 
ened. It is so stated that those of the Egyptians who 
began to have confidence in the word of Moses might 
shelter themselves and their cattle from the effects of the 
infliction. “ To-morrow, about this time, I will cause it 
to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in 
Egypt since the foundation thereof. ” u He that feared 
the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh 55 
sheltered their cattle and themselves, and were safe. But 
they “that regarded not the word of the Lord 55 felt the 
power of the storm. “And the Lord sent thunder and 
hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground.” ‘And 


148 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt. ” “ Only 

in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, 
was there no hail.” Here was a double discrimination. 
Every Hebrew free from the storm, and every Egyptian 
who feared, sheltered perfectly. Pharaoh feeling the 
desolating fury of this plague, is in great fear, and with 
the confession which fear constrains, said to Moses and 
Aaron : “I have sinned this time ; the Lord is righteous, 
and I and my people are wicked. Entreat the Lord, (for 
it is enough,) that there be no more mighty thunderings 
and hail ; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no 
longer.” Moses spread abroad his hands unto the Lord, 
and the thunder and hail ceased. When the elements 
were quiet, and the fears of Pharaoh were abated, he may 
have thought that this storm was not a message from God, 
but only a natural occurrence. So, also, his people may 
have reasoned. But when they gathered up the wrecks 
of their property, and contrasted them with the perfect 
security extended to the Hebrews, and the protection of 
the property of the Egyptians who “feared the word of 
the Lord,” their wrath was stirred. Their own folly and 
disbelief, instead of being condemned, only made them 
the more resolute. The king, thus encouraged by his 
people, was more determined. “And when Pharaoh saw 
that the rain, and the hail, and the thunders were ceased, 
he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his 
servants.” “Neither would he let the children of Israel 
go, as the Lord had spoken by Moses.” 


THE LOCUSTS. 

The cup of Pharaoh’s iniquity was not yet full. Other 
developments of his perversity were yet to be seen. So 
the Lord yet bore with him. In each new message there 
was furnished the opportunity for repentance and obedi- 


MOSES. 


149 


ence. Moses and Aaron are again sent to him with new 
pleadings. “ How long wilt thou refuse to humble thy- 
self before me ? Let my people go, that they may serve 
me.” In all the messages God treats Pharaoh as a free 
moral agent. He devolves upon him the responsibility of 
his decision. Pharaoh accepts that responsibility. Every 
threatened evil was an argument presented to the king 
why he should obey. “ Knowing, therefore, the terror of 
the Lord, we persuade men.” — 2 Cor. 5 : 11. 

“If thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to-morrow 
will I bring the locust into thy coast : they shall cover 
the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the 
earth : and they shall eat the residue of that which is 
escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall 
eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field. 
And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy 
servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians ; which 
neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers’ fathers have seen, 
since the day that they were upon the earth.” This fear- 
ful threatening was neither despotic nor cruel. It was 
merciful to point out the evil which was certain to follow 
disobedience. It was presented as a persuasive motive to 
do right. It afforded the king the best opportunity to aban- 
don his vacillating, untruthful course, and by obedience 
put himself in harmony with God. A new motive comes 
forward. “And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, how 
long shall this man be a snare unto us ? Let the men go, 
that they may serve the Lord their God. Knowest thou 
not yet that Egypt is destroyed?” This was a proposi- 
tion to let the men go alone, leaving behind them their 
wives and children. This to the king appeared wise and 
safe. Moses and Aaron are called in, when the king said 
unto them, “go serve the Lord your God: but who are 
they that shall go ?” The reply is prompt and explicit. 
“We will go with our young and our old, with our sons 
and with our daughters, with our flocks and our herds. 


150 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


will we go, for we must hold a feast unto the Lord.” 
This, to the king, looked like an exodus ; the departure 
of all this people from under his control. This he would 
not permit. “I will let you go and your little ones : look 
to it ; for evil is before you. Go now ye that are men, 
and serve the Lord; for that ye did desire.” Here is 
threatening on the part of Pharaoh, “for evil is before 
you.” Here is permission only for the men to go. As 
Moses and Aaron could not consent, the anger of the king 
became furious, “and they were driven from Pharaoh’s 
presence.” Here the rod appears. “And Moses stretch- 
ed forth his rod over all the land of Egypt, and the Lord 
brought on an east wind upon the land all that day and 
all that night, and when it was morning the east wind 
brought the locusts.” What an invasion was this ! Worse, 
incomparably worse, than a vast army of armed men. 
The locusts were God’s army. “They covered the face 
of the whole earth — they did eat every herb and all the 
fruit of the trees — there remained not any green thing.” 
Desolation, and only desolation, as far as the eye could 
reach. Naught but death seemed now to be the portion 
of the Egyptians. In wrath Pharaoh had driven Moses 
and Aaron from him. Now he calls for them in haste ; 
he is now humbled and confesses. ‘ ‘ I have sinned against 
the Lord your God, and against you. Now, therefore, 
forgive I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the 
Lord your God that he may take away from me this death 
only.” Men when in trouble from which they cannot 
extricate themselves are penitent and promise reforma- 
tion. But when the trouble is removed they forget the 
vows which they made in their anguish, “and like the sow 

that was washed returns to her wallowing in the mire.” 

2 Pet. 2 : 22. The sow washed was not changed in na- 
ture — only externally cleansed. Her unchanged nature 
took her back to her former “wallowing in the mire.” 
“Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation, not 


MOSES. 


151 


to be repented of : but the sorrow of the world worketh 
death.” — 2 Cor. 7 : 10. Thus it was with Pharaoh, he was 
sorry for the trouble. When in answer to the interces- 
sion of Moses, the troubles were removed, he fell back 
from his promise, and by falsehood and disobedience so 
hardened his heart, that “he would not let the children 
of Israel go.” 


THE DARKNESS. 

The plagues come rapidly. It does not appear that any 
repetition of the demand was made. Every new appeal 
only met with either hardened disobedience or lying 
promises . The Lord told Moses to “ stretch out his hand, ’ ’ 
that is, with the rod, “ towards heaven, that there maybe 
darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which 
may be felt.” • “ Moses stretched forth his hand toward 
heaven, and there was a thick darkness in all the land of 
Egypt, three days.” This was not the darkness of mid- 
night, without moon or stars, and with sombre clouds ; it 
was far worse than this. It was darkness at noon so in- 
tensely folding around and pressing, “that it may be 
felt,” or as the margin reads, “that one may feel dark- 
ness.” A darkness obscuring all land-marks ; blotting 
out distances. Those who moved were like the blind, 
groping their way. The men in the field were bewildered, 
and knew not which way to go. Those of the city dared 
not venture out. 6 6 Neither any one rose from his place. ’ ’ 
No work could be done, no meals prepared. Solitude in 
darkness, hour after hour. No distinction of day from 
night. All, all was darkness. ‘ ‘ They saw not one anoth- 
er.” No artificial lights in their dwellings penetrated 
this darkness. They sat in darkness and murmured ; 
they cursed, perhaps, the stubborness of their king. As 
the weary hours crawled on their despondency deepened 


152 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


into despair. When will this end, was the cry which 
broke through the darkness. For three days this strange 
darkness enveloped them, whilst “all the children of 
Israel had light in their dwellings. ” 

Pharaoh could stand it no longer. “He called unto 
Moses.” He could not see him, though he knew he was 
near. “He called unto Moses and said, go ye, serve the 
Lord, only let your flocks, and your herds be stayed ; let 
your little ones also go with you.” Still diplomatic in 
his permission. The flocks and the herds were to be the 
pledges of their return. The darkness did not bewilder 
Moses, his reply was, “thou must give us also sacrifices 
and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord. 
Our cattle also shall go with us ; there shall not a hoof be 
left behind ; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord 
our God ; and we know not with what we must serve the 
Lord until we come thither.” The king could hardly 
misunderstand this. If they took with them all their pos- 
sessions, and should get far away, what inducement could 
they have to return to servitude and hard bondage. It 
meant a total separation from his control. With wrath 
burning in his heart, he said to Moses, “Get thee from 
me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more ; for on 
that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.” The hard- 
ening of heart which continued disobedience and broken 
promises had accomplished, had now reached that degree 
when murder is acceptable — “thou shalt die.” Moses 
had a last reply to this murderous speech. “ Thou hast 
spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.” “Pha- 
raoh would not let them go.” 


FIRST BORN. 

The plagues, as they increased in power, and so won- 
derfully discriminated in favor of the Hebrews, had con- 


MOSES. 


153 


vinced them that the time of their deliverance was at hand, 
and prepared them implicitly to carry out the instructions 
which should be given to them. They were thus made 
ready, at any moment, to depart. Bo also the same dis- 
criminating plagues had’ gained upon the Egyptians, 
causing them to fear the Lord’s word, and strengthening 
the desire to have the Hebrews depart, believing that so 
long as they remained there would be constant trouble in 
the land. For who could tell what plague would come 
next if they remained. The Lord saw that but one more 
was needed to make the exodus feasible and safe for the 
Hebrews. This would so intensify the minds of the 
Egyptians, that they would help the Hebrews to depart. 
“And the Lord said unto Moses, yet will I bring one 
plague more upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt ; afterwards 
he will let you go hence : when he shall let you go, he 
shall surely thrust you out hence altogether.” This last 
plague had no intermediate agency of the rod. Hor was 
there connected with it any demand upon Pharaoh. The 
appeals had been rejected. The former plagues had sub- 
jected the king and his people to discomfort and the loss 
of property. This was to enter every house and smite 
every heart. Had Pharaoh yielded to the expressed will 
of God, the lives of a great multitude would have been 
saved, and the lamentations over the multitude of the dead 
would have been prevented. By his obstinate infidelity 
he brought ruin upon many. “Who hath hardened him- 
self against God, and hath prospered.”— Job 9 : 4. For 
three days the terrible darkness had prevailed. How “ it 
came to pass at midnight, the Lord smote all the first-born 
in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh, that 
sat on his throne, unto the first-born of the captive that was 
in the dungeon.” Death in the house any hour is sad 
and sorrowful, but when it comes unexpectedly and sud- 
denly in the lone midnight, it is loaded with heavier sad- 
ness. Even then the kindly offices of friendly sympathy 


154 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 



are precious, if not alleviating. Bnt when the wail of be- 
reavement breaks out from every house, when the agonized 
cry, my child, my first-born is dead, fills all the air, then 
terror overrides grief. “And Pharaoh rose up in the 
night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians ; and 
there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house 
where there was not one dead.” This brought the king 


DEATH OF FIKST BOKN. 

to a prompt decision. “And he called for Moses and 
Aaron by night, and said: “rise up and get you forth 
from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel ; 
and go, serve the Lord as ye have said. Also take your 
flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and begone ; and 
bless me also.” This is not all. The preparatory work 
of God was perfect. The hearts of all were moved. 
“And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that 
they might send them out of the land, for they said we be 


MOSES. 


155 


all dead men.” Thus, whilst the bereaved people were 
busied in preparing their dead for sepulchre, time was 
given for the hasty preparations for the exodus of the 
Hebrews, “ six hundred thousand on foot that were men, 
beside children.” 

Let no one be troubled about the sudden death of the 
thousands of the first born of the Egyptians. They were 
the creatures of God. Creation is the strongest possible 
right of ownership. Therefore, God claims as his, every- 
thing that he has created, and the right to dispose of every- 
thing according to his own pleasure. 44 Whatsoever is 
under the whole heaven is mine.” — Job 41 : 11. “The 
earth is the Lord’ s, and the fullness thereof ; the world, 
and they that dwell therein.” — Ps. 24 : 1. “ Every beast 

of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand 
hills. — Ps. 50: 10. “ Behold, all souls are mine, as the 

soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine.” — 
Ezek. 18 : 4. “ Is it not lawful for me to do what I will 

with mine own?” — Matt. 20 : 15. Had the Lord through 
the visible agencies of cholera, or diphtheria, or fever, or 
any other malady, as suddenly swept off the first born of 
the Egyptians, perhaps few would be shocked. But dis- 
eases are God’s messengers, as really as any direct opera- 
tion of his power. He did the Egyptians no wrong. As 
death was the inevitable portion of each creature only 
God could determine the time, the place and the manner 
of the death of each individual. Thus far the rod had 
never failed. Its culminating triumph was when the 
Exodus had commenced ; when the thousands of Israel 
encamped 44 between Migdol and the sea.” 

The hearts of Pharaoh and his people were turned 
against this people ; they said, why have we done this, 
that we have let Israel go from serving us. Hearing of 
the place of their encampment, he said, 4 4 they are en- 
tangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in.” 
44 He made ready his six hundred chosen chariots, and 


156 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


all the chariots of Egypt, and took his people with him.” 
He hurried on, expecting to secure an easy victory, and 
in triumph bring them back. The position of the Israel- 
ites was, perilous ; mountains on either side, the sea in 
front, and the Egyptian army crowding up on the rear. 
What could the Hebrews do ? With few, if any arms, 
unaccustomed to military discipline, encumbered with 
their families and very much cattle, they felt their great 
peril and were sore afraid. They cried unto the Lord. 
They murmured and complained of Moses, that he had 
brought them forth to die in the wilderness. The faith of 
Moses did not fail him. He “ said to the people, fear ye 
not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which 
the Lord will show you this day ; for the Egyptians 
whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no 
more forever. ' The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall 
hold your peace.” Though he did not see how the Lord 
would bring deliverance, still he knew he would, for he 
had said he would bring Israel into the land of promise. 
He cried unto the Lord tor directions to know what he 
must do. The response was clear and distinct. “ Speak 
unto the children of Israel that they go forward.” What ! 
forward into the sea ? Yes, forward ! ‘ 4 But lift thou up 

thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and di- 
vide it, and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground 
through the midst of the sea.” All the hosts moved for- 
ward and onward, through the sea. . Its chained waters 
stood up like walls of adamant until they all reached the 
further shore. This wonderful and unexpected way of es- 
cape did not impress Pharaoh with the conviction that the 
Lord was fully set in him to deliver his people, and that 
he had all the power to accomplish it. He would not 
understand this demonstration, but hardened still more his 
heart, and madly rushed on. Here a new demonstration 
shields the Hebrews. A pillar of fire threw brightness on 
their pathway — making the night light as the day. There 


MOSES. 


157 

it stood as a pillar of impenetrable cloud between the 
Egyptians and the Hebrews. Still Pharaoh urged for- 
ward with his hosts, with their crippled chariots, until 
they reached the depths of this pathway through the sea. 
Then was the rod again “stretched out over the sea 



DESTBU OTION OF PHARAOH. 


and the waters returned, “covered the chariots, and the 
horsemen, and all the host of Pharaoh.” This last wav- 
ing of the rod closed up this grand drama of Providence. 
It snapped the chain which bound the Hebrews to the 
Egyptians. It started them on their pilgrimage as a free 


158 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


people, to establish their nationality in u a land flowing 
with milk and honey. ’ ’ There in the possession of the true 
religion, demanding supreme love to God, and equal love 
to the neighbor ; there under equal laws, which forbid 
oppression, and which sacredly guarded the rights of all 
— and recognizing every man as created in the image of 
God, they set up the Hebrew commonwealth, a free repre- 
sentative republic. 


LAW-MAKER. 

There is one trait, the law-maker, which gives to Moses 
peerless preeminence through all the ages. He, under 
the teachings of the divine spirit, has enunciated and 
given form to more essentially vital and far-reaching 
principles of civil government, than has fallen to the lot 
of any other mortal. These principles, in their outwork- 
ing, to all communities who adopt them, secure personal 
and national liberty. As all permanent civil liberty is 
based upon religious liberty, Moses most sacredly guards 
the religious liberty of every man. The liberty of con- 
science to worship God. The religion which enforces this, 
sharply emphasizes the high dignity of man, as made in 
the image of God. All the legislation which it sets forth 
is based upon the idea of man’s worth. Hence all the 
requisite laws, demand not only the highest impartial 
justice to every man, but also the tenderest pity and for- 
bearance towards the necessitous and the unfortunate. 
The decalogfle, or ten commands, are made the basis of 
all legislation. They set forth the foundation principles 
of morals. They are designed to regulate the conduct 
of every man singly, in all ages and in all the possible 
relations of life. These include his duties to God, his 
Maker, and his duties to his fellowmen. These are sum- 
marily stated by our Lord, as consisting in supreme love 


MOSES. 


159 


to God, and equal love to our neighbor; It follows, that 
men governed by these principles, will incorporate them 
in their civil organizations. This was done in the setting 
up of the Hebrew commonwealth. 

Having, in their abode in Egypt, experienced the grind- 
ing miseries of irresponsible, despotic power, the laws of 
the Hebrew state are so constructed as to secure the relig- 
ious liberty of all, and thus to maintain permanent civil 
liberty. The fourth command, where servants are named, 
without any discrimination of them as Hebrews, or strang- 
ers, the rest of the sabbath is secured to them, and they 
are as much forbidden to work as are the masters, and 
equally with the masters are protected in all the rights 
and privileges of the Sabbath, either of rest or worship. — 
Ex. 20 : 10 ; 23 : 12. This makes every man equal before 
the law. This throws the sanctions of the divine law 
around, for a guard and defense of the religious and civil 
liberty of every man. 

Knowing that some form of servitude was inevitable, 
in civil society, where there are the rich and the poor ; 
knowing the tendency of wealth with its power to oppress 
the poor and the defenseless ; knowing the desire of men 
to escape from toil, and to have others labor for them; 
knowing the pride and haughtiness which, with contempt, 
looks down on menial service ; and knowing that these 
elements of depravity, if unrestrained, would result in 
cruel oppressions by which the poor would be' trodden 
down, and their rights, as men, overridden and destroyed, 
this law-giver set forth such a code that, chattel slavery 
which he had witnessed in Egypt, should never become 
an organic institution in the Hebrew commonwealth This 
at that day was taking a step, in government, greatly in ad- 
vance of his times ; indeed in advance of political or civil 
national organizations, for many, very many centuries. 

Moses, as a wise statesman, knew that it would be far 
easier to prevent oppression getting a legal foot-hold, 


160 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


than when once it had become incorporated to root it out. 
With this view, how beautifully and benevolently wise 
and consistent are all the provisions of his civil code. He 
thus rears up a strong breast- work against the surges of 
avarice and despotism, which would crush into oppressive 
and degrading bondage the man made in the image of 
God. Hay more, his code throws the arms of strength 
around the poor and defenseless, and builds up strong 
entrenchments for them. All his statutes not only pro- 
tect but they ennoble and bless the poor. They fix the 
limitation of service till they culminate in the jubilee, re- 
curring every fiftieth year, 4 ‘which proclaimed liberty 
throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof,” 
to the stranger as well as to the home-born. 

All the statutes carry out and guard the fundamental 
principle of religious liberty as the sure basis of perma- 
nent civil liberty. These were given and published whilst 
the Hebrews were in the wilderness. Under their instruc- 
tion, the new generation, the successor of that which 
came out of Egypt, were prepared to begin their nation- 
ality. They set up their government, not as a monarchy, 
but as a theocratic republic. This divine model was 
based upon the moral law, and that man was made in the 
image of God. God was the acknowledged head and law- 
giver. The five books of Moses was their written consti- 
tution to which they all assented. — Deut. 27 : 3-26 ; 31 : 
9-30 ; J olin 8 : 30-38. They had an elective representa- 
tive government. The Sanhedrim was their congress. 
They exercised the rights of sovereignty, declared war, 
made peace, and ratified treaties. Their visible rulers 
were elected. “Judges and officers shalt thou make in 
all thy gates.”— Deut. 16 : 18. They had a national sys- 
tem of education which included every child. — Deut. 6 : 7. 
There was no union of church and state. The priests had 
no civil authority, and the ruler was not the head of the 
church. The laws most sacredly protected the liberty of 


MOSES. 


161 


every person. Every seven years the whole law mnst be 
read before all the men, the women, the children, and the 
stranger in the land that every one might understand his 
rights and obligations. On the fiftieth year the silver 
trumpets were to thrill their joyous notes to ‘‘proclaim 
liberty throughout all the land unto the inhabitants 
thereof.’ ’ Thus wherever there was a human being, from 
Dan to Beersheba, from the great sea to the utmost bor- 
ders beyond the Jordan, in his ears the stirring notes of 
the trumpet proclaimed that the jubilee had come and 
wiped out all servitude from the land. Thus jealous was 
the law lest slavery, which breeds despotism and barbar- 
ism, the sure bane of liberty, should become an organic 
institution in the Hebrew republic. 

To the honor of the Hebrew people be it spoken, that 

NO SLAVE MART, AND NO SLAVE PEN, EVER POLLUTED THE 
SACRED SOIL OF PALESTINE. 

This republican form of government continued for 
three hundred and ten years. Nor was it changed until 
the people having become proud, corrupt and vain-glo- 
rious, came to Samuel and said, ‘ ‘ make us a king to judge 
us like all the nations.” — 1 Sam. 8 :*5. This displeased 
Samuel. When he inquired of the Lord, the response 
was: “hearken unto the voice of the people in all that 
they say unto thee ; for they have not rejected thee, but 
they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” 
Irreligion was the cause of their degeneracy. For this 
cause they were deprived of the high honor and privilege 
of self-government, and degraded to the low level of the 
surrounding nations. So “God in his anger gave them 
a king.” — Hos. 13 : 11. 

elemental principles. 

There are but two elemental principles in human gov- 
ernments. Th q first is the right to rule without the con- 


162 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


sent of tlie people. Hence the divine right of kings and 
of succession to the throne. This is monarchy. This is 
the elemental principle which animated all the ancient 
dynasties, and which now gives distinction to all existing 
monarchies, however diversified in some of their minor 
arrangements or limitations. 

The second elemental principle is that no one has any 
right to rule, except by the free consent and choice of the 
people. This recognizes the people as the original human 
source of all political power. It recognizes the right of 
the people to shape their own government, to elect their 
own officers, magistrates and rulers. In the language of 
President Lincoln, “the government of the people, by 
the people, and for the people.” This is republican. 
This is antagonistic to and irreconcilable with that which 
lies at the base of monarchy. There is no room for any 
third elemental principle. The two cannot permanently 
co-exist in the same civil polity. All attempts perma- 
nently to combine them must prove unavailing. For 
necessarily, the one element or the other must be ascend- 
ant ; and the one that is ascendant will give character to 
the government. In England, the attempt is made to 
combine them by arrangement of the king, lords and 
commons. King and lords being the aristocratic, and 
commons the republican element. But even there these 
two elements chafe and show their antagonism. 

Whilst religion may not be styled a fundamental ele- 
ment of merely a civil organization, it is nevertheless al- 
ways a directing influence. It is a fact which all history 
authenticates that the predominant form of religion will 
always give shape to the form of government. As the 
prevailing religion shapes the minds of the people, so the 
government will be shaped to meet the popular ideas. 
This is true of false religions. During the long ages 
over which they had unrestricted sway, there are found 
no manifestations of civil liberty. At the present time 


MOSES. 


163 


where idolatry is the recognized form, there anarchy and 
oppression bear sway with no recognition of equality of 
rights. In all Mohammedan countries there is not, and 
there cannot be any true civil liberty. This scheme of 
religion does not admit of liberty of conscience or allow 
of any freedom of practice in the matters of religion. 
Hence as an inevitable sequence the most oppressive forms 
of tyranny are found under that religious rule. 

Where the true religion is greatly corrupted, so that the 
simplicity of the gospel teaching is overshadowed by pom- 
pous ceremonies, and where the bible is withheld from 
the people, and where a priestly organization controls the 
conscience, and especially where the religious system is 
in alliance with the State, there no true civil liberty can 
be found. Where there is no religious liberty, no civil 
freedom can have permanency. In all lands where such 
a religious organization is dominant, there are found the 
most rigid forms of monarchy — the most unyielding aris- 
tocratic distinctions. The aristocratic orders, in the 
churcih, rising higher and higher, till they culminate in a 
single head, with absolute power, find their counterpart 
in the State. Romanism, where it is predominant, it and 
permanent civil liberty are incompatable. Their natures 
are as opposite as light and darkness. Cardinal Wise- 
man, in his lectures on the principal doctrines and prac- 
tices of the Roman Catholic Church, says : “The govern- 
ment of the Catholic Church may be considered monarchi- 
cal, inasmuch as the Pope is held to be the ruler over the 
entire church, and the most distant bishop of the Catholic 
Church holds his appointment from him, and receives from 
him his authority.” 

The Catholic World , of April, 1870, speaking of the 
Romish Church, says : 4 ‘ She therefore does not and can- 
not accept, or in any degree favor liberty in the Protestant 
sense of liberty.” Again, in July, 1870-: “The Catholic 
Church is the medium and channel through which the 


164 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


will of God is expressed. While the State has rights, 
she has them only in virtue and by permission of the 
superior authority, and that authority can only be ex- 
pressed through the church .” 

The Shepherd of the Y alley, published at St. Louis, 
Mo., 1ST ov. 23, 1851, said: “The church is necessarily in- 
tolerant. If Catholics ever gain an immense numerical 
majority, religious freedom in this country is at an end. 
So our enemies say, so we believe.” 

I quote these declarations, so frankly made, to confirm 
the position, that the prevailing religion of a country will 
determine the character of its civil organization. Hence 
it is plain, that where Romanism has uncontrolled sway, 
it rules the State, and there civil liberty never has been, 
and never pan be permanently secured. 

In Protestant Christian countries, where Church and 
State are united, even there civil liberty is restricted. In 
both are found privileged classes and aristocratic distinc- 
tions. The equal rights of the people, are disowned, and 
that liberty which makes all men equal before the law is 
not found. Where the gospel of Jesus Christ in its purity 
is predominant, and the freedom of every man to worship 
God after the dictates of his conscience is permanent, 
there civil liberty has a permanent home, for it is based 
upon the recognized equality of man, “made in the image 
of God,” and that every man is bound to love his neighbor 
as himself. The success which lias hitherto blessed the 
Great Republic, is because religious freedom is the firm 
foundation upon which our civil liberties are built. 

The men whom God brought over from the old world, 
he first so disciplined by their religious and civil oppres- 
sions, as to purge out of them the leaven of intolerance. 
He taught them from his own scriptures a free form 
of church organization. The distinguishing features 
were : 

1. The right of any company of Christians to unite and 


MOSES. 


165 


form themselves into a church of Christ, with freedom to 
worship God, undisturbed, according to the dictates of 
their conscience, as instructed by the word of God. 

2. That the rights and privileges of all the members 
are equal, and that the majority must rule. 

3. That no one had any right to hold office except by 
the free choice or election by the majority. 

4. The right of the church to elect their own officers, 
to form their own laws, in accordance with the word of 
God, with no interference or control of the State. 

Personal liberty, the rights of conscience, and self-gov- 
ernment were the distinguishing principles. 

These were transfused into our civil code. So long as 
they are kept bright they will guarantee permanent civil 
liberty. 

We return for a parting word with Moses the faithful. 
The rod was his staff, his unfailing comfort and support, 
through all the weary and eventful years of his pilgrim- 
age. With it he struck the rock in the wilderness and 
waters in abundance flowed out to the thirsty people. He 
did not part with it until, on the summit of Nebo, he laid 
down his commission at the foot of the throne. From 
that elevation, he passed on to higher and nobler service. 

Yes, by an immediate transit, I think his body was not 
buried, in the common acceptation of that word ; but, as 
was Enoch before him, and Elias after him, so he was 
translated. The evidence is very probable, if not abso- 
lute. Christ is said, 1 Cor. 15 : 20, to be “the first fruits 
of them that slept.” And in Acts 26 : 23, “that Christ 
should suffer, and that he should be the first that should 
rise from the dead. ” “ And the graves were opened ; and 

many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came 
out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the 
holy city, and appeared unto many.” — Matt. 27 : 52, 53. 
These are emphatic that Christ was the first who, having 
been buried, rose from the grave. W e read, Matt. 17 : 3, 


166 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


when the Lord was transfigured upon the mountain that, 
Moses and Elias were present and talked with him. It is 
clear therefore that, if Moses had been buried, he must 
have risen before that Christ died, was buried, and arose. 
As Christ was the first to arise, it necessarily follows, 
that Moses was not buried, but was translated ; that the 
law-giver, and the chief of the prophets, both translated, 
came to do homage to the Messiah whom they predicted. 

The contrast between the character of Moses and of Pha- 
raoh is very marked. The difference is clearly traced to 
the voluntary action of each. The will of the Lord was 
made known to both. Moses promptly obeyed, and by 
obedience, strengthed his moral character, and by con- 
tinued obedience became eminently a good man. Pha- 
raoh disobeyed and he hardened his heart. By continued 
disobedience, and falling back from his word, the harden- 
ing of his heart steadily and rapidly advanced, until his 
bad character became so fixed and determined that there 
was no hope of reformation. He was thus, by his volun- 
tary perseverence in disobedience, fitted for destruction. 
“He that being often reproved, hardenethhis neck, shall 
suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” — Prov. 
29 : 1. “ Then sudden destruction cometh upon them.” — 

1 Thess. 5 : 3. 

Moses, by the Providence of God, was placed under the 
best circumstances for becoming a good man. The will 
of the Lord was made known to him ; he voluntarily fell 
in with the divine will, and shaped all his conduct in 
in obedience. “Seeing ye have purified your souls in 
obeying the truth through the spirit unto unfeigned love 
of the brethren.” — 1 Peter 1 : 22. 

Pharaoh, by the same providence of God, was placed 
under the best circumstances for becoming a good man. 
The will of the Lord was made known to him, and certi- 
fied by a series of most wonderful demonstrations of the 
divine power. He felt the force of these demonstrations, 


MOSES. 


167 


and partially yielded to their influence. But, recovering 
from the eifects of his fear, he set his heart against the 
will of God. Not once or twice, but many times, thus 
resisting the methods calculated to secure obedience and 
to make him a good man. “ The fear of the Lord is the 
beginning of wisdom,” when it is followed by cheerful 
obedience. When it is resisted it hardens the heart. 
Whilst Moses, with a grateful heart, could praise the 
Lord for all his goodness and mercy ; Pharaoh had no 
body to blame for his ruin but himself. 

Moses when called of God was a simple shepherd, tend- 
ing the flock of his father-in-law. He carried with him 
the rod, the symbol of his occupation. When it was de- 
voted to the divine service it became “the rod of God,” 
and by it wonders were wrought. With this rod in his 
hand, Moses consecrated unto the Lord all his talents, 
and acquirements. The Lord accepted the consecration 
and used them gloriously. Moses was not an extraordi- 
nary case, but a strong example to encourage all to con- 
secrate themselves to the work of the Lord. The Apostle 
Paul urges the same, “ I beseech you therefore, brethren, 
by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a liv- 
ing sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your 
reasonable service.” — Rom. 12 : 1 . The right occupations 
we follow, and the talents we possess, are the rods which 
God hath put into our hands that we may use them, and 
make them the rods of God, by which his cause, through 
us may be carried forward. Sanctified talent, whether 
smaller or larger, has always been a power in the world. 

I seem to hear the voice speaking from the burning 
bush, in gentle tones of encouragement to the poor and 
humble disciples, “if there be first a willing mind, it is 
accepted, according to that a man hath, and not accord- 
ing to that he hath not.”— 2 Cor. 8 : 12. Do not imagine 
that, if you were differently situated then, you would and 
could be useful. You know not of what spirit you are 


168 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


and how little yon could bear the temptations of an alter- 
ed situation. If you do not use the talents and oppor- 
tunities you now have, what confidence is there that you 
would properly discharge greater responsibilities ? 4 ‘ He 

that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in 
much ; and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in 
much.” — Luke 16 : 10. 

Again the voice from the bush speaks in words of in- 
quiry to the rich. “ What is this in thine hand V 9 This 
is my rod, the staff of my life, upon which I lean in my 
pilgrimage. It is property, a sure investment ; the gather- 
ings of honest industry. Upon this I am living respect- 
ably in ease and comfort, after the toils of years. Hast 
thou made thy rod, “ the rod of God,” by the honest 
consecration of all to the divine service ? Or art thou 
satisfied to enjoy it simply as a personal worldly good ? 
Dost thou feel an increasing obligation to be useful, ac- 
cording to thy means, and especially as thou art drawing 
nearer to thy heavenly rest, for thy time for service here 
is shortening up fast ? I heard a gentle, loving whisper 
fall again upon the ear. I died for thee. I freely gave 
up my whole self upon the cross for thee. By the use 
of thy wealth, thy station, influence and whole self for 
me ; thy rod may become the rod of God, and do wonders 
and plant bright jewels in my crown. 

Again the voice from the bush speaks to the man in the 
full career of business. What is that in thine hand? 
This is my rod, by which I gain riches, and secure com- 
fort and respectability for myself and family. Is this 
also the rod of God ? Does the spirit of my religion so 
pervade and regulate all your business, that those who 
deal with you know that you are governed by pure and 
heavenly principles ? Do you make your business work 
for me? By thus making it “the rod of God,” art thou 
doing wonders ? Is it the means of your own increased 
spirituality, and of spiritual life and encouragement to 
all around you ? 


MOSES. 


169 


To another the voice speaks: 44 What is that in thine 
hand ? It is my rod, my calling, by which I promote my 
own interests, and serve my country. I am a patriot and 
politician. Is thy rod 4 4 the rod of God V 9 By it art thou 
doing wonders for me? Dost thou carry the pure of my 
religion into your politics ? making you truthful, honest, 
loyal, patriotic, and careful, lest in any thing thou shouldst 
sin ? Lord, I do not think it proper to carry politics into 
religion. Bight, said the voice, you must never carry 
worldly politics into religion ; for that would be polluting. 
Carry my religion into politics, it will be purifying, and 
save you from sin; it will take away selfish thirst for 
place and power, and will make of you a noble-hearted 
patriot. 

The voice speaks to all, whether high or low, rich or 
poor, 4 4 what is in thine hand % Consecrate thyself wholly 
to me, devote all the talents I have committed to you to my 
service, gain other talents for me, and I will say unto you: 
“ Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast 
been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler 
over many things : enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” 
—Matt. 25 : 21. 

How kind in God, that in whatever situation we are 
placed, we may make that situation “the rod of God,” 
by which we promote our own spiritual advancement — 
make known Jesus, the Divine Saviour, and by his bless- 
ing upon our labors, turn many to righteousness. 

“ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, im- 
movable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for- 
asmuch as ye know that your labor is not vain in the 
Lord.” — 1 Cor. 15 : 58. 

Sanctified talent is the kod of God, whereby we 

DO WONDERS. 

4 4 Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a ser- 
vant.” — Heb. 3 : 5. 


8 


POSTSCRIPT. 


Since that portion of this article had gone to press, which suggests that 
Moses was not buried, in the ordinary acceptation of that word, hut was 
translated, as was Enoch before and Elijah after him, it has occurred to me 
that some seeming objections should be considered. Some readers may, at 
first thought, feel that the restoring to life, by our Lord, of the only son of 
the widow of Nain, and the daughter of Jairus, the ruler of the synagogue at 
Capernaum, and especially the calling forth of Lazarus from the tomb, mili- 
tate against the statement. “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and be- 
come the first fruits of them that slept.” — 1 Cor. 15 : 20. Kesurrection im- 
plies the rising to a new and endless life, over which death has no power. 
This was eminently true of our Lord who died not again, but ascended to the 
right hand of God in heaven, and ever liveth. In this, the true idea of a re- 
surrection, he was the first fruits. Neither the only son of the widow of Nain, 
nor the daughter of Jairus the ruler of the synagogue, nor Lazarus, had a resur- 
rection, but were simply restored to their former life, over which death had 
full power. They doubtless were gathered to the grave there to sleep until 
the general resurrection. Enoch and Elijah had no resurrection, as they were 
translated. As Moses appeared with Elijah on the mount of transfiguration, 
talking with Jesus, and as Elijah we know positively was translated, it is fair 
to conclude that Moses was also translated and needed no resurrection. 


p. 170 


ADONIBEZEK. 


Measure for Measure. 


ADONIBEZEK. 

MEASURE FOR MEASURE. 


[Adonibezek appears only incidentally in the scriptures 
of the Old Testament. He is mentioned in connection 
with a transaction so remarkable, with the principle it in- 
volves, as to demand our particular attention and study. 
Adonibezek, simply means lord or king of Bezek, and 
designates him as the ruler of that section of Palestine. 
Bezek, which was his capital, was situated about seven- 
teen miles east of Shechem, within the boundaries of the 
tribe of J udah. He was a turbulent, cruel, fighting prince, 
as appears from the three-score and ten kings he had 
conquered and cruelly maltreated. These kingdoms were 
small, but when they combined their forces, they be- 
came an irritating if not a formidable foe to the Hebrews. 
He was at the head of the confederated Canaanites and 
Perizzites, when Judah and Simeon, after the death of 
Joshua, were appointed to go up against him. They 
found him in Bezek. They fought against him, and 
“ slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.” When the 
king fled “they pursued after him, and caught him and 
cut off his thumbs and his great toes.” Why did they 
subject him to this strange punishment? The answer is 
found in this confession of Adonibezek. “Three-score 
and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes 
cut off, gathered their meat under my table : as I have 
done, so God hath requited me.” This number of sub- 
jugated kings does not imply that he reigned over a large 

p. 172 


ADOXIBEZEK. 


173 


domain. These early kingdoms, in Palestine, were often 
confined to a single walled town with a small surround- 
ing country. In the time of Abraham there were five 
kings in the limited vale of Sodom. So we read that 
Joshua conquered thirty-one kings. 

Of the manner in which Adonibezek treated his captive 
kings the Hebrews were not ignorant. It was not a 
mere matter of cruelty, but regarded as a military neces- 
sity, as by this method the men were permanently dis- 
abled from again acting in a warlike capacity. Without 
thumbs few of the weapons then used could be made 
effective. Without the great toes flight and agility would 
be greatly impeded. We read that the Athenians cut off 
the thumbs of the right hand of the inhabitants of the 
island Aegina, to preclude them from managing the spear 
and disputing with themselves the empire of the sea. 
Those Romans, who disliked a military life, thus mutilat- 
ed themselves. Parents also, to save their sons from the 
army, thus disabled them. To such an extent was this 
practice carried, that the senate and emperors made it a 
crime. In some of the continental kingdoms, at the pre- 
sent time, where the army is recruited by compulsory 
conscription, men are known to cut off the thumb of their 
right hand to prevent their serving. Soldiers, when tired 
of the army, and longing for home, do the same to secure 
their discharge. The word poltroon, the synonym for 
arrant coward, is founded on this custom. It literally 
signifies cut thumb , from jpollice thumb, and troneo to cut 
off or maim. 

Without meaning to justify or apologize for the con- 
duct of Adonibezek, or that of his conquerors, we need 
not, in this nineteenth century, hold up our hands in 
horror. The pages of history transmit the cruel horrors 
of Dartmoor prison, and the black hole of Calcutta, the 
terrible receptacles of prisoners of war, also the strapping 
of the Sepoy prisoners to the cannon’s mouth, and blow- 


174 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


ing tlieir bodies into a thousand pieces. All these atro- 
cities practiced, in modern warfare, by a nation proud of 
its Christianity. 

It is worthy of notice that Adonibezek acknowledged 
the justice of his punishment, from the fact that he had 
thus treated others whom he conquered. There can be 
no doubt that the Hebrews thus treated him in retali- 
ation. But more particularly we notice, that Adonibezek 
distinctly recognized the hand of God in this treatment, 
as the right and proper administration of justice. This is 
the more remarkable when we consider the degrading 
idolatry in which he lived. But the sense of natural jus- 
tice is well nigh universal in the human mind. It is found 
as really among the ignorant barbarians, as among the 
most civilized people. Every man makes it manifest when 
a wrong is done to him. So when he knowingly wrongs 
another, he is conscious of the fact. Strange as it may 
seem, the spirit of revenge is based upon this innate prin- 
ciple. In the case of Adonibezek, his conscience, the 
monitor which God has placed in every man, testified as 
to the justice of his punishment. The Apostle fully con- 
firms this view, “for when the Gentiles, which have not 
the law, (moral law,) do by nature the things contained 
in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto them- 
selves : which show the work of the law written in their 
hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their 
thoughts the meanwhile accusing, or else excusing one 
another.” — Bom. 2 : 14, 15. 

In this historical fact of Adonibezek we have an illus- 
tration of the simplest form of justice. It is being treated 
exactly as we have treated others. It was the simplest 
form of justice that hung Haman on the very gallows 
which he had prepared for Mordecai. The heart of every 
spectator must have bounded within him, when he saw 
that the iniquity of Haman was not consummated upon 
Mordecai, but fell upon himself. Every spectator must 


ADONIBEZEK. 


175 


have felt strengthened for the right, when he saw that the 
innocent was rescued, and the guilty one treated as he 
planned to treat another. 

Profane history furnishes us with a graphic and em- 
phatic illustration. When Bajazet, the Tartar, was taken 
prisoner by Tamarline, his captor generously said unto 
him : “if you had taken me prisoner as I have taken you, 
what would you have done with me V 5 Supposing, under 
the circumstances, that the Turk would, on the principle 
of selfishness, name lenient treatment, he submitted the 
question. The Turk promptly replied, “ I would have 
thrust you under the table, when I did eat, to gather up 
the crumbs with the dogs. When I rode out, I would 
have made your neck my horsing block. And when I 
traveled, you should have been carried along with me in 
an iron cage, for every fool to hoot and shout at.” “ I 
thought to have used you better,” said the gallant Tamar- 
line, “but since you intended to have served me thus, you 
have j ustly pronounced your own doom. 5 ’ Here is simple 
justice ; not in doing to another as he had actually done, 
but as he thought in his heart to do if he had the oppor- 
tunity. In this the scripture sustained him. ‘ ‘ Then shall 
ye do unto him, as he had thought to have done to his 
brother.” — Deut. 19 : 19. “ And the king commanded, 

and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, 
and they cast them into the den of lions.” — Dan. 6 : 24. 
“ Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein ; and he that roll- 
eth a stone, it will return upon him.” — Prov. 26 : 27. 

When Adonibezek said, “ as I have done so hath God 
requited me,” he recognized retribution as an element 
in the divine government. Certain it is that God often 
punishes men, and especially nations, in this life, by 
filling them with their own devices, so that “ they who 
plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.” — Job 
4: 8. 

That this is an essential principle of the divine govern- 


176 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


ment is obvious to every careful student of the Bible. It 
is clearly incorporated in the Mosaic code. “ He that 
killeth a beast shall make it good ; beast for beast. And 
if a man cause a blemish in his neighbor ; as he hath done, 
so shall it be done to him. Breach for breach, eye for eye, 
tooth for tooth, as he has caused a blemish in a man, so 
shall it be done to him again. And he that killeth a 
beast shall restore it : and he that killeth a man, he shall 
be put to death. Ye shall have one manner of law, as 
well for the stranger, as for one of your own country : for 
I am the Lord your God.” — Lev. 24 : 18-22. In its ap- 
plication to the criminal law it has a seeming severity, 
and, to the apprehensions of the present day, a tinge at 
least of barbarism. Still this principle pervades the 
practice and the laws of all civilized nations. If a man 
takes, or withholds from me, a hundred dollars, I demand 
of him, as a matter of justice, a hundred dollars. If, be- 
ing able, he offers me only seventy-five dollars, I feel that 
justice is not met, and that nothing short of, or more than 
one hundred dollars meets justice. 

All laws aim to fix the penalty of a crime in exact pro- 
portion to the injury done. Imprisonment recognizes 
this, and the length of the imprisonment is graduated ac- 
cording to the nature of the damage to the person or the 
public. So when murder is committed, the penalty is 
death, because the murderer caused the death of a living 
man. This is the strongest illustration of the simplest 
form of justice. Measure for measure. “ He shall have 
judgment without mercy that hath shown no mercy.” 

This principle has its application also in the rewards of 
virtue. The law of every well regulated commonwealth 
throws its protection, with all the rigors of penalties, to 
guard the property, the reputation, and the life of the 
good. 

So David, in his psalm of thanksgiving, hath written : 
“With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, and 


ADONIBEZEK. 


177 


with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright ; 
with the pure thou wilt show thyself pure.”— 2 Sam. 22 : 
26, 27. It is the revealed law, that God will treat men as 
they treat him, and as they treat their fellowmen. 


TEACHINGS OE PROVIDENCE. 

The manner in which the law of measure for measure 
is carried out in the workings of providence, will show 
the respect which God has for it. It will be necessary to 
bring forward only a few cases, to illustrate how sacredly 
this principle is guarded. Passing by the case of Adoni- 
bezek, which can claim the divine sanction only so far as 
it finds a place upon the inspired page, I shall cite a few 
samples quite familiar to every attentive reader of the 
Bible. 


JACOB. 

In the history of this patriarch, we recall the manner 
in which he obtained the birthright. It was by deceit. He 
conspired with his mother to deceive Isaac, making him 
believe Jacob to be Esau. Under that deception Jacob actu- 
ally received the birthright blessing. Without dwelling 
upon the trouble which this mother brought upon herself 
and this favorite son, by this evil conspiracy, we hasten to 
the habitation of Laban, to which J acob fled. With Laban 
he covenants to serve seven years for Rachel, whom he 
loved, to be his wife. The seven years are passed, when 
Jacob said unto Laban, “ give me my wife, for my days 
are fulfilled.” Laban made festive arrangements, when 
Jacob joyfully expected to receive Rachel. But behold 
it was Leah. In the bitterness of his spirit he said: “What 
is this thou hast done unto me ? Bid I not serve thee for 
Rachel? Wherefore hast thou beguiled me?” Laban 


178 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


might have replied, it is measure for measure ; even as 
thou hast done, so hath God requited thee. As by deceit 
thou didst obtain the blessing, so by deceit thou art de- 
prived of thy Rachel. 

When Jacob departed from the house of Laban, he 
said to his wives, “your father hath deceived me, and 
changed my wages ten times.” And to Laban he said, 
“thus have I been twenty years in thy house, I served 
thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years 
for thy cattle, and thou hast changed my wages ten 
times.” He saw that all along he had been made the 
dupe of many cruel deceptions. But as though God 
would set out this principle of measure for measure the 
more impressively, we notice that when Jacob was him- 
self aged, then he, too, was deceived by his own children. 
They brought to him the coat of many colors, the gar- 
ment of his favorite son, which they had dipped in the 
blood of a kid, saying, this have we found : know thou 
whether it be thy son’s coat or no ?” “And he knew it, 
and said, it is my son’ s coat, an evil beast hath devoured 
him ; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces.” Thus by 
the deception of his own children, he mourned over Joseph 
as dead. Thus he spent many sorrowful days. He was 
not undeceived until there burst upon him the terrible fact 
that his whole family of children had conspired to deceive 
him. How clear that, in the wonderful workings of 
providence, God hath dealt with him as he had previous- 
ly dealt with his own brother and father. This was liber- 
ally measure for measure. 


HAMAN. 

After the notice already taken of Haman, we need only 
to look at a few items in this remarkable drama of real 
life. The only drawback upon the happiness of Haman, 


ADONIBEZEK. 


179 


so high in the confidence of his sovereign, was that a 
certain despised Jew, named Mordecai, would neither bow 
nor do reverence to him, for the king had commanded all 
the servants, at the king’ s gate to bow, that is, to fall pros- 
trate and thus reverence Haman. Mordecai was inflexible. 
This provoked the wrath of Haman, for it is written “he 



CAMEL POST. 


was full of wrath.” So contemptible, in his estimation, 
was this Jew, that he scorned to lay hands on Mordecai 
alone. He therefore matured a bold and daring scheme 
to destroy all the Jews in the kingdom of Ahasuerus. 
Having artfully obtained the consent of the king for 
this purpose, “the posts went out, being hastened by the 


180 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


king’s commandment.” Then the king and Haman sat 
down to drink. Thus it appears that, in that early day, 
as at the present time, murder and drink were confeder- 
ates. With a joyful heart Haman went with the king, 
as invited to the banquet of the queen. But when he 
saw Mordecai in the king’ s gate, that he stood not up, 
nor moved for him, he was full of indignation against 
him. So much did he lay this contempt of him to heart, 
that, when he came home he called together his wife and 
friends. He told them of his riches and of his promotion 
above all the princes, and that on the morrow he was 
again, with the king, to eat at the queen’s table. “ Yet 
all this availeth me nothing, so long as I see this Morde- 
cai, the Jew, sitting at the king’s gate.” Here it was, in 
this circle of friends, under the guidance of malevolent, 
but mortified pride, that the plan for the immediate de- 
struction of Mordecai was laid. “Then said Zeresh, his 
wife, and all his friends to him, let a gallows be made 
fifty cubits high, (75 feet), and to-morrow speak thou un- 
to the king that Mordecai may be hanged thereon, then go 
thou in merrily with the king into the banquet. And the 
thing pleased Haman ; and he caused the gallows to be 
made.” Here the full measure is meted out for Morde- 
cai. W e see perfectly how Haman would treat him. 

Whilst this plot was maturing, the king had heard such 
excellent patriotic things of Mordecai, as strongly and 
most favorably to impress his mind. He determined to 
reward Mordecai by a public demonstration of his favor. 

When “Haman came into the outward court of the 
king’ s house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai 
on the gallows he had prepared for him,” before he could 
utter one word, “ the king said unto him, what shall be 
done to the man the king delighteth to honor ?” “Now 
Haman thought in his heart, to whom would the king 
delight to do honor more than unto myself ?” Under the 
power of this self-conceit he answered, “Let the royal 


ADONIBEZEK. 


181 


apparel be brought, which the king useth to wear ; and 
the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal 
which is set upon his head ; and let this apparel and horse 
be delivered to the hand of one of the king’ s most noble 
princes, that they may array the man withal whom the 
king delighteth to honor, and bring him on horseback 
through the streets of the city, and proclaim before him, 
thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth 
to honor.” What less than royal honor did this Haman 
thus seek for himself ? “Then the king said to Haman, 
make haste, and take the apparel and the horse as thou 
hast said, and do even so to Mordecai, the Jew, that sit- 
teth at the king’s gate: let nothing fail of all that thou 
hast spoken.” How galling to his pride was this com- 
mand. Had it been given to another to do it, the humili- 
ation would not have been so absolute. But for him to 
carry out, to the honor of Mordecai, the programme of 
the lofty ambition he had sketched for himself, was a 
depth of degradation he had not conceived as possible. 
“Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit 
before a fall.” Sudden and strange are the reverses of 
this life. At the very time that Haman expected to see 
Mordecai disgraced, he is doomed to array Mordecai in 
royal robes, and lead him, on the king’ s horse, proclaim- 
ing, this is the man whom the king delighteth to honor. 
The triumphal procession being ended, Haman, in con- 
scious disgrace, hastened to his house, “mourning, and 
having his head covered.” 

The king’ s chamberlains came in haste, 1 ‘ to bring Haman 
to the banquet that Esther had prepared. ’ ’ This summons, 
so unexpected, may have comforted him somewhat with 
the hope that he was not utterly and permanently dis- 
graced and fallen. But it was here, when hope revived 
him, at this royal banquet, that the whole plot of Haman’ s 
deep conspiracy against the life, not alone of Mordecai, 
but against the life of all the Jews, not excepting that of 


182 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Queen Esther herself, was made plain to the king. He 
rose from the banquet of wine in wrath. The attendants 
covered Hainan’s head and said, “ behold the gallows, 
fifty cubics high, which Haman hath made for Mordecai.” 
“Then the king said, hang him thereon.” So “they 
hanged Haman upon the gallows he had prepared for 
Mordecai. ’ ’ Here was measure for measure — full measure. 

“He conceived mischief and brought forth falsehood. 
He made a pit and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch 
which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own 
head, and hi3 violent dealings shall come down upon his 
own pate.” — Ps. 7 : 15, 16. “The wicked is snared in 
the work of his own hands.” — Ps. 9 : 16. “And he shall 
bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them 
off in their own wickedness ; yea, the Lord our Grod shall 
cut them off.” — Ps. 94 : 23. 

Hot only was Haman deprived of the office of prime 
minister and hung upon the gallows he had prepared for 
Mordecai, but “ the king took off his ring which he had 
taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai.” This 
was measure for measure, working both ways, forward 
and backwards. 

The narrative concerning Naboth’s vineyard, and the 
remarkable fulfillment of the predictions in vindication 
of this principle, might here be given. But as we have 
fully stated this in another article in this volume, viz. : 
“ Ahab and Jezebel,” we refer the reader to that paper. 


DANIEL. 

There is no more emphatic illustration of measure for 
measure than the stirring plot against the life of Daniel. 
The facts are brief, but they illustrate in a forceful man- 
ner the remorseless character of disappointed, depraved 
ambition. Darius, the king, had set over his kingdom one 


ADONIBEZEK. 


183 


hundred and twenty princes. Over these were appoint- 
ed three presidents, 44 of whom Daniel was the first.” To 
these princes, in their respective departments, was com- 
mitted the collection of the revenue, and were responsible 
that “the king should have no damage.” The reason 
why Daniel was “preferred above the presidents and 
princes,” was “because an excellent spirit was in him.” 
Because of his known integrity and inflexible honesty, 
“ the king thought to set him over the whole realm.” A 
good character will always secure confidence and lead to 
promotion. Daniel’ s incorruptible fidelity to the trust 
committed to him stood in the way of these rapacious 
presidents and princes. He would not allow them to ap- 
propriate to their private use anything that belonged to 
the king. Judging of Daniel by themselves, they sup- 
posed that, though in the matter of the king’s revenue he, 
for self-advancement, was faithful, still somewhere in 
public transactions they should find him at fault. ‘ 4 Then 
the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against 
Daniel concerning the kingdom.” Their motive was, by 
presenting and substantiating charges, to undermine his 
influence with the king, and thus leave the way clear for 
their peculations. 44 But they could find none occasion 
nor fault, forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was 
there any error or fault found in him.” Disappointed 
and sorely vexed they turned their thoughts to another 
scheme. 44 Then said these men, we shall not find any 
occasion against this Daniel except we find it against him 
concerning the law of his God.” They knew that his 
religious character was as unyielding in its firmness as 
was his honesty in financial affairs. They had observed 
the punctuality of his worshiping his God thrice each day . 
This furnished them with the hope of getting rid of this 
stubbornly honest man. Knowing the weak point of the 
king, they determined, by flattery, to approach him, and 
by an artful scheme which, whilst it concealed their mo- 
tive, professed to do great honor to the king. 


184 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


“He that loves to be flattered, is worthy of the flatterer.” 

This plan demanded great unanimity of counsel and 
execution. Hence “all the presidents of the kingdom, 
the governors, and the princes, and the captains consult- 
ed together, to establish a royal statute, and to make a 
firm decree, (interdict), that whosoever shall ask a peti- 
tion of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee, O 
king, shall be cast into the den of lions. ” Here is mur- 
der with malice aforethought. So cruel and unscrupu- 
lous is envy. Having agreed upon their plan, they bring 
it to the king for his approval and signature, that it might 
become the law. “Now, O king, establish the decree, 
and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to 
the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.” 
Blinded by flattery, and not suspecting the murderous 
purpose of his flatterers, “king Darius signed the writing 
and the decree.” 

Now there was joy and congratulations among -these 
vile conspirators. They had enclosed Daniel in the 
meshes of their strong net. They had bound the king by 
his own decree so that he could not abrogate the law. A 
few days only were needed to make their triumph com- 
plete, ever forgetful “that the triumphing of the wicked 
is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment.” 
—Job 20 : 5. 

Now as spies, sneaking spies, upon this good man’s 
devotions, they watched all his movements, expecting 
that Daniel would be disobedient to the law, and thus 
furnish the desired accusation. They were not disap- 
pointed. “When Daniel knew that the writing was 
signed, he went into his house ; and his windows being 
open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon 
his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks 
before his God, as he did aforetime.” Noble, trueheart- 
ed man ! He would not deny his God, nor relinquish 


ADONIBEZEK. 


185 


his worship for thirty days. He knew for what purpose 
the decree was obtained, yet he shrank not from the duty 
and privilege of prayer, even for thirty days. He would 
not admit the doctrine of expediency, bred of fear, to rule 
him. He was not ashamed of his religion. He would 
not, through fear, hide away for a season. But as he did 
aforetime, so he did now, though the den of the hungry 
lions was before him. The martyr spirit was in him. 

With hasty steps and with leering looks of satisfaction 
and triumph these murderous plotters “ came near and 
spake before the king concerning the king’s decree.” 
They obtained a verbal recognition of the decree and of 
its unalterable character. ‘ 4 Then answered they and said, 
that Daniel regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree 
that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times 
a day.” The king now saw the plot and true intent of 
those who procured this unalterable law. “He was sore 
displeased with himself.” 

“ He does me double wrong, 

That wounds me with the flatteries of his tongue.” 

“ He set his heart on Daniel to deliver him : he labored 
to the going down of the sun to deliver him.” Seeing 
how the king loved Daniel, and how he sought for some 
way to avoid the execution of the decree, and fearing lest 
he would throw off his responsibility, they became very 
anxious for the majesty of the law, and, as law-abiding 
scoundrels, when it suits their vile purpose, they “assem- 
bled unto the king, and said unto the king, know, O king, 
that the law of the Medes and Persians is, that no decree 
nor statute that the king establisheth may be changed.” 
There was impudence and affrontery in this speech, as 
though they had said, shall the king make a decree, and 
when he finds it inconvenient to obey it, shall he be the 
first to break it* How then can you expect obedience 
from your subjects * The king could find no way to save 


186 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Daniel ; “ so he commanded, and they brought Daniel, 
and cast him into the den of lions. ” Did the spirit of the 
Lord touch his heart to speak these words of assured 
comfort: Daniel, “ thy God whom thou servest continu- 
ally, he will deliver thee.” “A stone was brought and 
laid upon the mouth of the den.” With a sorrowing 
heart, and I doubt not with a trembling hand, “he sealed 
it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords, 
that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. ’ 9 
How diff erently did the king and these plotters of murder 
spend that night. With joy, perhaps with feasting and 
revelry, did these conspirators spend the night, congratu- 
lating each other that their plan had succeeded; that the 
hungry lions had had a noble feast — that Daniel, the ob- 
structor of their greedy peculations, was no more. The 
king, with a bowed head, went to his palace deeply sor- 
rowing. He “passed the night fasting, and his sleep 
went from him.” I doubt not that, in his trouble, he 
prayed to the God of Daniel. Thy God will deliver thee, 
was encouragement to pray. Did he not expect, faintly 
perhaps, deliverance, when he “arose very early in the 
morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions?” 
“With a lamentable voice, he cried, O Daniel, servant of 
the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, 
able to deliver thee from the lions V ) Thrilling was the 
reply. Startling and confounding to the conspirators, 
but full of joy to the king. “ O king, live forever. My 
God hath sent his angels, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, 
that they have not hurt me.” “Then was the king ex- 
ceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should 
take Daniel out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out 
of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, 
because he believed in his God.” 

A change, a sudden and fearful change comes over the 
dream of these conspirators. Sadness, and mourning, and 
terrible fear takes the place of gladness, of their festivity 


ADONIBEZEK. 


187 


and their triumphing. They now mnst try what a day 
spent with hungry lions means. “And the king com- 
manded, and they brought those men which had accused 
Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their 
children and their wives, (who had rejoiced with them 
over Daniel,) and the lions had the mastery of them, and 
brake all their bones in pieces, or ever they came at the 
bottom of the den.” This was a terrible ending of the 
conspiracy. But it was measure for measure. They got 
measured back to themselves what they had deliberately 
measured out to Daniel. “Behold, he (wicked) travail- 
eth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and 
brought forth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged it, 
and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief 
shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing 
shall come down upon his own pate.” “God judgeth 
the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every 
day.” — p s . 5 ; n, 14-16. It is safe, and only safe to trust 
God, and stand firm to the right. 

THE GOSPEL. 

During the Old Testament dispensation, the Jews were 
under the theocracy, God being the executive. This re- 
quired that this law of measure for measure should be 
often visibly executed. When their nationality was dis- 
solved, and they scattered among the nations, the theoc- 
racy ceased. How, under the gospel, which more clearly 
reveals the retributions of another world, it connects the 
actions of the present life with the awards of the future. 
“Who will render to every man according to his deeds.” 

Pom. 2 : 6 . “So then every one of us shall give account 

of himself to God.”— Bom. 14 : 12. “For by thy words 
thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt 
be condemned. ” — Matt. 12 : 36. Still it often occurs, in 
this life, that retribution so overtakes men, that all in- 


188 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


stinctively feel, that what they call 44 poetic justice,” has 
been secured. “Some men’s sins are open beforehand, 
going before to judgment ; and some men they follow on.” 
—1 Tim. 5 : 24. 

In the sermon on the mount, our Lord clearly laid down 
the principle of measure for measure. 4 4 For if ye forgive 
men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also for- 
give you, but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, 
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” — Matt. 
6 : 14, 15. Again, 44 with what measure ye mete it shall 
be measured to you again.” — Matt. 7 : 2. This exposition 
gives great point and intensity to that petition in the 
Lord’s prayer: 44 And forgive us our debts as we forgive 
our debtors.” 

When our Lord referred to the Mosaic law he did not 
abrogate its essential principle, but enjoined that it should 
be carried out in the spirit of kindness and not of revenge. 
44 Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye, 
and a tooth for a tooth ; but I say unto you, that ye re- 
sist not evil.” The Jews, under the sanction of this law 
of a measure for measure, carried their resentments to the 
utmost lengths of exacting retaliation, and thus perpetu- 
ated quarrels and animosities to the great detriment of 
social life. This abuse of the law, carried out in the spirit 
of revenge, he condemned, and taught that the law should 
be administered in the spirit of love, — not with an exact- 
ing, but with a forbearing and a forgiving spirit. He does 
not forbid defence against the robber, the murderer, and 
the oppressor, but when we stand for our rights, it be 
done, not with an evil, revengeful temper, but with Chris- 
tian love and forbearance. Chosing to suffer wrong 
rather than to do wrong and violate the law of love. 

In the serious and all important matter of personal sal- 
vation, the Lord thus states the conditions : 

44 Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I 
confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But 


ADONTBEZEK. 


189 


whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny 
before my Father which is in heaven.” — Matt. 32 : 33 and 
Luke 12 : 8, 9. The confessing of Christ is required by 
the Apostle. “ If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the 
Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath 
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with 
the heart man believeth unto righteousness ; and with the 
mouth confession is made unto salvation.” — Rom. 10 : 9, 
10. “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him : if we 
deny him, he also will deny us.” — Tim. 2 : 12. 

In another form, but strictly germain, the Saviour states 
the same condition, “Whosoever, therefore, shall be 
ashamed of me and of my words, in this adulterous and 
sinful generation, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed, 
when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy 
angels.” — Mark 8 : 38, Luke 9 : 26. As the unalterable 
condition of salvation is faith, trustful confidence in the 
atoning blood of Jesus Christ, the Apostle asks this in- 
tensely solemn personal question. “How shall we es- 
cape if we neglect so great salvation?” — Heb. 2:3. A 
question which no man has ever been able to answer. It 
is not opposition. It is simply neglect. 


THE JUDGMENT. 

The most impressive of all utterances made by our 
Lord, on this subject, is his solemn declaration that it 
will be the rule of the last judgment. “ For the Son of 
Man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his an- 
gels : and then he shall reward every man according to 
his works.”— Matt. 16 : 27. “ When the Son of Man shall 

come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then 
shall he sit upon the throne of his glory : and before him 
shall be gathered all nations : and he shall separate them 
one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from 


190 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


the goats : and shall set the sheep on his right hand, bnt 
the goats on his left. Then shall the king say nnto them 
on his right hand, come, ye blessed of my father, inherit 
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of 
the world : for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat : 
I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink : I was a stranger, 
and ye took me in : naked, and ye clothed me : I was 
sick, and ye visited me : I was in prison, and ye came un- 
to me.” When the righteous made response of inquiry, 
“the king shall answer: inasmuch as ye have done it 
unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done 
it unto me.” “ And whosoever shall give to drink unto 
one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the 
name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he shall in no 
wise lose his reward.” — Matt. 10: 42. “Then shall he 
say also to them on the left hand, depart from me, ye 
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and 
his angels : for I was hungered, and ye gave me no meat,” 
&c. ■ 6 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, 

when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, 
or naked, or sick, or in prison and did not minister unto 
thee % Then shall he answer them inasmuch as ye did it 
not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” — 
Matt. 25 : 31-46. 

“ Be not deceived : God is not mocked : for Whatsoever 
a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that sow- 
eth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he 
that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life ever- 
lasting. And let us not be weary in well doing ; for in 
due season we shall reap if we faint not.” — Gal. 6 ; 7-9. 

MORAL. 

The moral of this narrative is this. That as we in this 
life treat Christ and our fellow men, so God will treat us 
in the life to come. Measure for Measure. 


DAVID. 

Penitential Submission. 


p. 191 


DAVID. 


PENITENTIAL SUBMISSION. 


Of all the worthies of the Old Testament, the life of 
none is more wonderful and diversified than that of David. 
The record is so full and circumstantial that we all know 
who he was. From his humble, youthful days, through 
manhood, up to his enthronement, incidents crop out which 
demonstrate the substantial and instructive traits of his 
character. No one trait, perhaps, is more constantly de- 
veloped, than his submission to the divine will. At times 
it is expressed in triumphant confidence in the divine 
government. “ The Lord reigneth ; let the earth rejoice; 
let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Clouds and dark- 
ness are round about him : righteousness and judgment 
are the habitation (the establishment) of his throne.” — Ps. 
97 : 1, 2. “ Say among the heathen that the Lord reign- 

eth : the world also shall be established that it shall not 
be moved : he shall judge the people righteously.” “ He 
shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people 
with his truth.” — Ps. 96 : 10, 13. “O let the nations be 
glad, and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people 
righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.” — Ps. 
67 : 4. In such, and many other passages, he declares 
his confidence in and consequent submission to the will 
of God. In other psalms, when sorrow oppressed, and 
troubles compassed him around, his stay was in the divine 
government, and his consolation in cheerful, trustful sub- 

p. 192 


DAVID. 


193 


mission. 44 Why art thou cast down, O my soul ? And 
why art thou disquieted in me % Hope thou in God : for 
I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” 
— Ps. 42 : 5. 

Ultimate submission to the divine will is a necessity for 
all created beings. As God is infinitely perfect in all his 
attributes, it follows that the decisions of his will must 
also be perfect, therefore the best, as they are made in view 
of all possible reasons. Hence they cannot be changed, 
except for those which are less perfect, which with God 
is morally impossible. It is the unchangeable perfection 
of the divine will, not arbitrary, but founded in benevo- 
lence, that is the ground of confidence and joy to the holy 
beings around the throne. They are happy, supremely 
happy, in their prompt and entire submission to the will 
of God. Instant, in their obedience, for any mission, 
whether to chain a devil in hell, or waft a soul to glory. 
To men on the earth who have full confidence in the recti- 
tude and benevolence of the divine will there is joy and 
contentment. 

The spirit in which the submission is made, determines 
the character of the man. Job, in view of his losses, said : 

4 4 the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed 
be the name of the Lord.” And the prophet Habakkuk 
said: 44 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither 
shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, 
and the fields shall yield no meat ; and the flocks shall 
be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls; 
yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my 
salvation.” And Samuel said, 44 itisthe Lord: let him 
do what seemeth him good.” By such cheerful conduct 
these, and multitudes of other men, have made their char- 
acter manifest, and have commended submission as the 
true source of happiness. Whilst on the other hand, 
those who quarrel with and resist the divine will, in its 
providential dealings with them in this life, are far from 

9 


194 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


happiness, they achieve nothing, and shut their heart 
against that precious promise: “thou wilt keep him in 
perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he 
trusteth thee.” — Isa. 25 : 3. 


HISTORY. 

History is not simply “the continuous narrative of 
events,” but the record of God’s providential government 
of this world. It is the acting out of the divine purposes, 
either in the punishment of the wicked, or the discipline 
and approval of the good. This is eminently the case 
in relation to the prosperity or adversity of nations whose 
existence is confined to the present state. Secular, or 
profane history, too often overlooks, or more probably 
does not understand the moral causes which degenerate 
and annihilate nations. It states truly that nations have 
their birth, infancy, manhood, decline and extinction, but 
no resurrection. It clearly shows these phases in the 
career of the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Grecian 
and the Roman Empires. It points out how ambition, 
with the martial spirit of conquest, so enlarged the boun- 
daries of the empire, until their enlargement became their 
weakness and their certain ruin. 

Histories, as recorded by the pen of inspiration, have 
primarily to do with the moral causes which either elevate 
or degrade a nation. In studying them we have the as- 
surance that what we read, is not the judgment of a fel- 
low-man, incapable of understanding all the moral causes, 
and whose judgment may be influenced by prejudice or 
preconceptions ; but it is the unerring truth which God 
has caused to be put upon the sacred page. These rec- 
ords point out the inseparable connection between sin and 
suffering, and between right and prosperity. They make 
plain that the sin of rulers is followed by the subsequent 
sufferings of the people. 


DAVID. 


195 


HUNTED BY SAUL. 

By direction of God, Samuel went to the house of Jesse, 
and there annointed the youthful David as the future 
king of Israel, to succeed Saul, the present king. “And 
the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day 
forward.” Soon he is brought to Saul, who is favorably 
impressed. When the evil spirit was upon Saul, David 
played on his harp, and Saul was refreshed and well. 
This friendship of Saul for David, increased after the 
death of Goliah, until the popularity of David was such 
as to arouse the jealousy of the king. He heard the wo- 
men as they sang, “Saul hath slain his thousands, and 
David his ten thousands. Saul was very wrath, and the 
saying displeased him — what can he have more but the 
kingdom. And Saul eyed David from that day and for- 
ward. For he said, I will smite David, even to the wall,” 
with the javeline he had in his hand. So intense was his 
jealously and his murderous spirit that David was driven 
from Jerusalem, and hunted like a partridge in the mount- 
ains. In all these persecutions, David never murmured 
or complained. Though again and again the life of Saul 
was in his hands, and a single thrust of his spear would 
have made him king, yet he would not touch the Lord’ s 
annointed. Though he knew that God had assured him 
of the throne, he would not allow this to justify him in 
slaying his persistent and wicked enemy. He chose the 
rather to submit to the orderings of providence, though 
they were both wearisome and painful. Whilst thus hunt- 
ed, he could say, “the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not 
want.” 


DEATH OF HIS CHILD. 

In all the life of David, there is no scene more tender, 
and at the same time more illustrative of his prompt sub- 


196 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


mission to the divine will than when called to part with 
his child. The simple, beautiful parable of the ewe lamb 
so aroused and intensified the wrath of David because of 
the selfish meanness of the man who robbed his poor 
neighbor of his pet lamb, that he said, ‘ 4 As the Lord liv- 
eth, the man that has done this thing shall surely die.” 
“Nathan said to David, thou art the man.” This flashed 
upon him, the selfish meanness and wickedness of his 
base treatment of Uriah. Without any palliation or at- 
tempt at excuse, he promptly confesses his guilt.” “I 
have sinned against the Lord.” He submits to the sen- 
tence which he had denounced against the rich man in the 
parable. To this penitent submissive sinner, Nathan 
spake words of comfort. “ The Lord also hath put away 
thy sin.” He was authorized thus to speak, not only be- 
cause of the divine permission, but also and specifically, 
because he knew that David did not remain impenitent 
for nearly a year ; but had deep conviction, and prompt- 
ly repented and confessed his crime to God in secret. 
“When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my 
roaring, all the day long. For day and night thy hand 
was heavy upon me : my moisture is turned into the 
drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, 
and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said I will confess 
my transgression unto the Lord ; and thou forgavest the 
iniquity of my sin.” — Ps. 32 : 3-5. Nathan also released 
him from the death sentence he had unwittingly passed 
upon himself, “thou shalt not die.” 

But private confession to God in this case was not 
enough. David entered into the peaceful house of Uriah 
and wrought iniquity. “Thus saitli the Lord, behold I 
will raise up evil against thee out of thine house.” “For 
thou didst it secretly : but I will do this thing before all 
Israel, and before the sun.” “Howbeit, because by this 
deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the 
Lord to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee 


DAVID. 197 

shall surely die. And the Lord struck the child that 
Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.” 

This utterance doubtless roused into violent activity all 
the strong affections of his parental heart. Peradventure 
it dashed the fondly cherished hope, if not the purpose 
that this child should be a prince in Israel and the in- 
heritor of the throne. As the utterance fixed no specific 
time for the death of the child, it was a proper occasion 
for prayer. For whilst there is life there is hope. 4 4 David 
therefore besought God for the child ; and David fasted, 
and went in and lay all night upon the earth.” When 
the elders of the house went to him to raise him up and 
entreat him to eat bread, he would not. On the seventh 
day the child died. The servants of David feared to tell 
him, saying “ how will he vex (do hurt) himself, if we tell 
him the child is dead.” David understood from their 
manner, and their whispering, that the child was dead. 
When they told him that 44 the child was dead, then David 
arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself, 
and changed his apparel, and came into the house of the 
Lord and worshiped : then came he to his own house ; 
and when he required, they set bread before him, and he 
did eat. ’ ’ Here was prompt submission. He put away all 
signs of depression and was as aforetime, cheerful as well 
as prompt in his submission. This conduct appeared 
very strange to his servants. He replied, “while the 
child was yet alive I fasted : for I said, who can tell 
whether God will be gracious unto me, that the child may 
live. But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast ? God 
has settled the matter and I bow submissively to his will. 

I prayed for the living — I cannot pray for the dead. 4 4 Can 
I bring him back again?” No, never. 44 1 shall goto 
him, but he shall not return to me.” Go to him, yes, not 
to the tomb only, but to that which lies beyond the tomb, 
to the mansions of eternal blessedness. 

How comforting to David was the doctrine of the divine 


198 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


sovereignty, and submission to it. What if God had de- 
volved upon David the responsibility of deciding when and 
how this child should die. What incessant and increasing 
agonies would have torn his heart. What a terrific conflict 
between duty and affection. Instead of this, God benevo- 
lently says I will take the responsibility, and will fix the 
time and manner of his death, and all that I require of 
you is cheerful and prompt submission to my will, with 
the confident belief that it was for the best. Such comfort 
have all the saints. 

“If thou should’ st ask me to resign, 

What most I prize, — it ne’er was mine ; 

I only yield thee what was thine : 

Thy will be done, thy will be done.” 


The death-scene of his child being over, David makes 
his public confession in the intensely penitential language 
of the fifty-first psalm. “I acknowledge my transgres- 
sions ; and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee 
'only, (chiefly), have I sinned, and done this evil in thy 
sight : that thou mightest be justified when thou speak- 
eth, and be clear when thou judgest.” “ Wash me thor- 
oughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.’ 9 
‘ Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniqui- 
ties. Create in me a clean heart, O God ; and renew a right 
spirit within me.” Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O 
God, thou God of my salvation.” 

I think it clear, by reading the portions of scripture 
belonging to this subject, in their proper order, that David, 
so far from being impenitent for about a year, until Na- 
than came, repented soon after his crime, and confessed 
it publicly when the prophet said “thou art the man.” 

Head first the account of his crime. — 1 Sam. 11 : 2. 

Next read Psalm 82 : 3-5, where he records his con- 
victions and his confession to God in private. 


DAVID. 


199 


Then comes the interview with Nathan, and the death 
of the- child. — 1 Sam. 12 : 1. 

Last, the noble, public confession to remove the scandal 
which caused the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. 


DEIVEH BY ABSALOM. 

When Absalom had completed all his arrangements 
and the news was brought to David that “the hearts of 
the men of Israel are after Absalom,” he said to those still 
loyal, “ arise, and let us flee : for we shall not else escape 
from Absalom : make speed to depart, lest he overtake 
us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city 
with the edge of the sword. 5 9 It was simply, nor perhaps, 
mostly personal fear but a kind regard for the lives of the 
people, many of whom would be slain did he resist the 
usurpation of his rebellious son. “And the king went 
forth with all his household with him.” “And David 
went up by the ascent of Mount Olivet, and wept as he 
went up, and had his head covered, and he went bare- 
foot.” When he came to the top of the mount, from 
whence he could look back upon Jerusalem, “ beautiful 
for situation,” he made no lamentation over his sad con- 
dition — no complaints of the ingratitude of his son and of 
the wrongs inflicted upon himself, but humbled and sub- 
missive to his lot he “worshiped God.” When he had 
passed on and “was a little past the top of the hill, a man 
of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, came forth 
and cursed him and cast stones at David. When Abishai, 
faithful to David, said, “why should this dead dog curse 
my lord the king ? Let me go over I pray thee and take off 
his head.” David would have no blood shed by his com- 
mand. He recognized the hand of God in this transaction 
and said “let him curse, because the Lord hath said un- 
to him, curse David.” “It may be that the Lord will 


200 


BIBLE PKIXCIPLES. 


look on mine affliction, and that the Lord will requite me 
good for his cursing this day.” 

Absalom being in possession of Jerusalem, said “unto 
Ahithophel, give counsel among you what we shall do. 
And Ahithophel said, go unto thy father’s concubines, 
which he hath left to keep the house ; and all Israel shall 
hear that thou art abhored of thy father ; then shall the 
hands of all that are with thee be strong. So they spread 
Absalom a tent upon the top of the house; (flat roof,) 
and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the 
sight of all Israel.” When the tidings of this debasing 
act reached David he certainly called to mind the words 
spoken to him by Nathan. “Thus saitli the Lord, be- 
hold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thine own 
house, and I will take thy wives before thine eyes, and 
he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun. For 
thou didst it secretly : but I will do this thing before all 
Israel and before the sun.” Not only did his secret sin 
find him out, but it was blazoned to the world to his 
shame and confusion. “That which ye have spoken in 
the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the house 
tops.” — Luke 12 : 8. 

David now gathers together his forces to put down the 
rebellion, and sends forth a third part of his army with 
the charge, “deal gently for my sake with the young 
man, even Absalom.” The battle was joined, and Israel 
was smitten. But Absalom, riding through the wood un- 
der the thick boughs of a great oak, is caught by the 
head, not by the hair, but by the head in the crotch of 
the bough. Thus jammed in he could not extricate him- 
self and was slain by J ohab. When tidings of the victory 
reached David, his first inquiry was “is the young man 
Absalom safe.” Parental affection was that day stronger 
than the joy of victory. When told that Absalom was 
among the slain, “the king was much moved, and went 
up to the chamber over the gate and wept ; and as he went, 


DAVID. 


201 


he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom ! 
would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my 
son !’ 5 This was not repining, but deep and heavy mourn- 
ing. He mourned for him, not only as a loving father 
mourneth for a son — even a truant son ; but it was bitter 
mourning, because this son died in rebellion against the 
rightful king, and thus sinned against God who had 
anointed him king. 

How different was the death of his two children. The 
child struck by the hand of God, passed away, and David 
found comfort in bowing before the sovereignty of God. 
He feared no ill for the child in the future world. Not 
so with Absalom. He had wrought evil, and died in the 
prosecution of that evil. No comfort could come from 
such a death. This David felt, keenly felt. Hence the 
cry, “ would God I had died for thee.” Though he 
mourned, and his sorrow was heavy, he still bowed in 
submission to the divine will, though expressed in so 
terrible a manner. 


HUMBEKIHG THE PEOPLE. 

In this transaction, we have not simply the individual 
act of David and his personal penalty, but a strong illus- 
tration of the sufferings of the people following the sin of 
the ruler. This portion of the inspired narrative, brings 
into beautiful prominence the submission of David, not 
to a providence with which he had no connection as the 
death of a father by disease, or the afflictive results of an 
earthquake, but to the penalty due to a sin he had com- 
mitted. There was a patriotic generosity in his submis- 
sion and willingness to “ accept the punishment of his 
iniquity.” 


202 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. ' 


THE SIN. 

“And David said to Joab, and to the rulers of the peo- 
ple, go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan ; and bring 
the number of them to me, that I may know it.” The 
specific sin was the numbering of the people. But why 
was this criminal ? It had been done on previous occa- 
sions, without any evil results. The evil consisted in the 
motive which prompted this measure. Whenever the 
census of the people had been taken, it was by the com- 
mand of Gfod, who was the aknowledged Theocratic head 
of the Jewish government. But at this time there was no 
command from the Lord, nor was there any necessity for 
this numbering, for the purposes either of religion, or 
defense against their enemies. It was to gratify the per- 
sonal desires of the king. The spirit of pride, of vain 
glory, reigned in his heart. The only reason which he 
assigns for this procedure is, ‘ ‘ that I may know it. ’ ’ God 
had wonderfully prospered him, and had consolidated 
the government in him, with the attached loyalty of all 
the people. His heart was lifted up, and he desired to 
know the military strength upon which he could rely. 
His confidence was turned away from the Lord, who was 
'with him when he was feeble, who had so signally ren- 
dered him victorious over all his enemies, and who had 
placed him on the throne of the swelling millions of his 
people. God saw this pride working in his heart, and 
this was manifest also to the eye of others. For “Joab 
answered, the Lord make this people one hundred times 
so many more as they be ; but, my lord the king, are 
they not all my lord’s servants? Why then doth my 
lord require this thing ? Why will he be a cause of tres- 
pass to Israel?” It was not a transient wish, the mere 
promptings of a momentary curiosity, that actuated 
favid. It was the settled purpose of his mind ; a mea- 


DAVID. 


203 


sure upon which he had set his heart, and in which he 
took great pleasure. When J oab expostulated with him, 
and warned him that it would “be a cause of trespass to 
Israel,” saying, “why doth my lord the king delight 
in this thing?” The king turned aside this faithful re- 
buke, and commanded that the numbering should pro- 
ceed. “ Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against 
Joab. Wherefore, Joab departed, and went throughout 
all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. And Joab gave the 
sum of the number of the people unto David. And all 
they of Israel were a thousand thousand, and an hundred 
thousand men that drew sword, and Judah was four hun- 
dred, three-score and ten thousand men that drew sword.” 
This result showed the true motive of David. He de- 
sired to know how many men, capable for war, he could 
depend upon. The return gives one million, five hundred 
and seventy thousand men, capable of bearing arms. 
This was calculated to inflate his pride, to foster the mil- 
itary spirit, and to inflate the spirit of worldly ambition. 
All these were hurtful to him, personally, as a man of 
God, and as a ruler of the people. 


AFTER THE NUMBERING-. 

“ And David’s heart smote him after that he had num- 
bered the people.” — 2 Sam. 24 : 10. He had waited for 
nine months and twenty days, (2 Sam. 24 : 8,) during the 
progress of the census. His mind was interested and ex- 
cited with the returns from different sections of the coun- 
try. But when the grand total of his strength should be 
laid before him he anticipated a season of great pleasure. 
But at this moment, when assured of more than a million 
and one half of armed men, obedient to his call, 4 ‘ his heart 
smote him.” The immediate occasion was that “God 
was displeased with the thing, and therefore he smote Is- 


204 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


rael.” In what particular manner Gfod manifested his 
anger we are not told, but it was in such a way that David 
perfectly understood it to be the expression of the divine 
displeasure. This troubled him. The thing in which he 
delighted, and to which he looked forward with anticipa- 
tions of pleasure, he now finds to be the source of un- 
speakable misery. His conscience was aroused, — it ac- 
cused, — it condemned him. The approving presence of 
God was withdrawn, and now he finds how helpless he 
is, notwithstanding so many warriors were ready to do his 
bidding. Who can be strong w T hen his conscience is 
against him, and when he feels that God is against him % 
Thus it was with David. Still he did not flee away from 
God, but immediately fell at his feet humbled, penitent, 
confessing his sin, and pleading for mercy. “ And David 
said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have 
done this thing : but now I beseech thee do away the 
iniquity of thy servant ; for I have done very foolishly.” 
David understood that as his guilt was individual, so he 
personally must confess it, and seek for pardon. His 
royal station could not exempt him from this work of 
abasement. 


THE PROPOSITION. 

This was sent to him through Gad, the prophet of the 
Lord, and is as follows : “Choose thee either three years 
famine, or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, 
while that the sword of thine enemies overtake thee, or 
else three days the sword of the Lord, even the pestilence, 
in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying through- 
out all the coasts of Israel.” Such were the fearful alter- 
natives which were placed before the king. These were 
the designated messengers of God’s wrath, by which he 
would punish sin. But why submit the selection out of 


DAVID. 


205 


these to David ? A little while since, and he felt competent 
to decide relative to the numbering of the people. When 
remonstrated with, and when assured that it would be 
displeasing to God, still he, in his own sovereignty, chose 
to have the people numbered. He wanted to gratify his 
own will. And now the Lord devolves upon him the re- 
sponsibility of choosing between three years of famine, 
three months of desolating war, or three days of pestilence, 
to sweep through all the land. By this arrangement God 
designed to prove David — thoroughly to test him, wheth- 
er, in such an emergency, he would forsake the Lord, or, 
by submission, the more resolutely cleave unto him. 

THE DECISION. 

How fearful and burdensome was this responsibility. 
What worrying perplexities. Which ever way he should 
decide would be to bring trouble and mourning upon his 
people. Recognizing the existence of the divine sover- 
eignty, and failing back upon it as his only sure refuge, 
he “ said unto God, I am in a great strait ; let me fall now 
into the hands of the Lord, for very great are his mercies ; 
but let me not fall into Hie hand of man.” “ So the Lord 
sent pestilence upon Israel.” 

Pestilence was regarded as coming more directly from 
God. It was felt to be more certainly beyond the control 
of man, no matter how privileged might be his circum- 
stances. 

In the choice which David made, he showed his confi- 
dence in God. Thus he illustrated his piety in honoring 
the benevolence of his maker, and his belief that both 
himself and people would be better off in the hands of 
God. Here also was seen an humble and submissive spirit. 
It was wise, in the chastisement, to see the hand of God, 
and not to have the mind turned away to secondary agen- 
cies. 


206 


BIBLE PEIXCIPLES. 


To be driven before their enemies wonld have been a 
dishonor to God, in the eyes of the nations. This the 
Lord himself had recognized when speaking to Moses. 
‘ ‘ I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make 
the remembrance of them to cease among men ; were it 
not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their ad- 
versaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest 
they should say, our hand is high and the Lord hath not 
done this.” There was another reason why they should 
not be driven before their enemies, as this would not per- 
sonally affect David. His person would be protected 
whilst the multitude of his unoffending soldiers and peace- 
ful inhabitants of the towns, would fall a prey to the de- 
vouring sword. In the martial onsets of their enemies 
they would see human agencies at work, and would not 
so clearly percieve the hand of God. And instead of 
penitence and humility of spirit before Jehovah, they 
would indulge in the spirit of deadly strife and of person- 
al enmity. 

To have famine walk through the land for three years 
would indeed be a visitation from God, and would bring 
the most searching distress upon the community ; but it 
would fall the heaviest upon the poor, who probably had 
not directly participated in the sin. Should famine come, 
David, on account of his elevated station and his great 
wealth, would be protected, — having the means of pro- 
tecting his own life and the life of his family. 

But by the pestilence walking in darkness and wasting 
at noon-day, he and his family would be equally exposed 
as the poorest of his subjects. Had David acted under 
the promptness of selfishness, or of impenitency he would 
have preferred either war, or famine, to the ravages of 
pestilence ; for safety would have been almost certain. 
But he felt that he ought to throw himself to an equal ex- 
posedness with his people, and to trust them all in the 
hands of God, who would make such discriminations as 


DAVID. 


207 


lie judged best. Many, when in trouble, betake themselves 
to prayer, and cry earnestly for deliverance. It is selfish- 
ness which only then drives them to the throne of grace, 
and it is selfishness that dictates their prayers. But 
David, conscious of his guilt, throws himself at the foot 
of the throne and cheerfully submits himself to the dis- 
posal of God. He does not ask for personal exemption. 
He does not cry, O spare me and mine ; but says, “let me 
fall into the hand of the Lord, for very great are his mer- 
cies.” How mean is selfishness, even on its knees pray- 
ing unto God. How noble is penitence, as it dashes aside 
all mere personalities and throws itself confidingly upon 
the mercies of the Lord, with cheerful submission to the 
will of God. 

The pestilence came violent and terrific. It swept like 
a hurricane over the land, for about nine hours. — (2 Sam. 
24 : 15.) Seventy thousand men were numbered with the 
dead. God’s power over secondary causes is absolute. 
The air we breathe is often one of the messengers of his 
wrath. He has only to change the proportions of the 
gases of which it is composed, and it becomes the angel 
of death. A mighty cause is thus put in operation, wdiich 
defies all human power to arrest ; and until God shall re- 
store the air to its wonted salubrity, death must advance 
rapidly, and do suddenly the work of destruction. 

Having thus carried desolation and sorrow into every 
neighborhood, if not into every family circle, on this, the 
first day of its march, God pauses : for judgment is his 
strange work. He pauses to see how this first blow af- 
fected the people. For he is ever ready to regard the 
first movings of repentence. 

CONDUCT OF DAVID. 

It is written, to the glory of these men in high stations, 
that they promptly humbled themselves before the Lord. 


208 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


“ Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed 
in sack-cloth, fell upon their faces.” But David, though 
the king, takes the lead in these acts of humiliation, of 
confession, and of prayer. 

He confesses 7iis individual guilt. “ And David said 
unto God : is it not I that commanded the people to be 
numbered % Even it is I that have sinned and done evil 
indeed.” Here are no excuses, no pleas of policy, no 
shiftings of responsibility, but a full and frank confession 
of personal guilt, and a thorough justification of God in 
his manifested anger. 

He pleads that the people might be comforted , and that 
the vials of wrath might be poured out upon himself. 
“But as for these sheep, what have they done? Let 
thine hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be on me and 
on my father’ s house, but not on thy people, that they 
should be plagued.” Noble hearted man ! He would 
not shrink from the danger. He rushed forward and 
stood between the drawn sword of the angel and the peo- 
ple. He laid bare his own breast crying — ‘ ‘ spare, O spare 
the people, — for they are innocent — I am the guilty one ; 
upon me let the anger fall. Let my blood stay the pesti- 
lence.” 

But here the question crowds itself forward, why then 
were the people thus visited with the pestilence, seeing it 
was the sin of David which was the announced occasion 
of the judgment ? In the account of this transaction, re- 
corded in 2 Sam. 24 : 1, we are told that God was angry 
with the people on other accounts. “ And again the an- 
ger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved 
David against them to say, go, number Israel and Judah.” 
God, for wise reasons, chose this act of David, as the oc- 
casion of visiting the people, by reason of their sins. For 
it is an established principle, in the divine government, 
never to bring suffering upon a nation, except as the pun- 
ishment of sin. There is another principle which must 


DAVID. 


209 


here be recognized. It is the intimate connection which 
exists between the sins of rulers and their people. Even 
in despotic governments, the rulers are compelled to have 
some regard to public sentiment. History clearly shows 
that the most arbitrary monarchies have been controlled 
and shaped, and limited by public sentiment, so that they 
carry out only what the people will permit. Every gov- 
ernment is the miniature likeness of the expressed will of 
the nation. It was Rome that made Hero, and not Hero 
that made Rome. It was France that made Hapoleon, the 
first emperor, gigantic in his ambition, and cruel in the 
execution of his will. ‘‘The wicked walk on every side 
when the vilest men are exalted.” In the case of David, 
the nation had not remonstrated. Most probably they 
also desired to know their own martial strength, were 
proud of their exalted position, and exulted greatly in 
the grandeur and power of their king. Thus they silent- 
ly aided in the work — participated in that pride and vain 
glory which was an offence to God. They thus forsook 
God as their protector and stayed their confidence on their 
armies. It was no strange thing for God to scourge the 
Jews on account of the sins of their rulers. In 2d Sam. 
21 : 1-6-9, it is written that God sent a famine which pre- 
vailed for three years. When enquired of for the cause 
of this sore judgment, the Lord answered, it is for Saul, 
and for his bloody house, because he slew the Gibionites.” 
The case was this, king Saul had violated the treaty which 
Joshua 9 : 15 had made with the Gibionites. The honor 
and good faith of the nation had been broken, and God, 
as their acknowledged law-giver, had been dishonored. 
Hothing would appease the divine anger until a proper 
reparation was made to the Gibionites for the violation of 
the treaty and the shedding of their blood. 

More particularly is the connection between the sins of 
rulers and the people to be recognized in republican gov- 
ernments. For in such the power is with the people. 


210 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


They make the rulers — they select them from among the 
multitude — they set forth their qualifications, and they 
express their will by the casting of their votes. Thus the 
majority say who shall be the rulers of the land, and, 
thus they become responsible for the conduct of their 
rulers. For in their official station, they are only the 
agents of the people to do their will, as expressed in the 
laws of the land. If those rulers do wickedly, and are 
not rebuked and displaced for their iniquity, but are sus- 
tained by the voice of the people, speaking through the 
press, or by mass meetings or by their suffrages, then the 
sin of the ruler becomes the sin of the nation. Such is the 
great principle which involves every citizen in this land, 
in the guilt and the punishment of the sins of our rulers. 
We cannot claim exemption by pleading that we were 
silent, that we were attentive to our particular secular 
calling, and that we take no part in politics. Gfod has 
placed us under this free constitution as citizens, and he 
has devolved upon each one of us the responsibility of 
doing all our duty as members of the commonwealth. 
No selfishness, or indolence, or indifference of ours can 
exonerate us. We are bound to see to it that proper men, 
as to character and ability, are put up for office and never 
to lend or prostitute the power of our vote to secure mere 
party purposes, or to place over us improper men. ‘ ‘ More- 
over thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, 
such as fear Gfod, men of truth, hating covetousness ; and 
place such over them, (the people,) to be rulers, &c.” — 
Ex. 18 : 21. Every man is responsible to Gfod for his vote. 


PESTILENCE ARRESTED. 

No resort is had to secondary agencies, with the view 
of counteracting the destruction which had in a few hours 
swept away seventy thousand men. David knew and felt 


DAVID. 


211 


that the only hope of the people was in appeasing the 
anger of God. He accordingly, as already stated, made 
his urgent appeal to the divine mercy, confessing his per- 
sonal criminality. Whereupon the Lord directed to a 
public religious service, thus acknowledging God as the 
Supreme Huler of the nation, “say to David, that David 
should go up and set up an altar unto the Lord in the 
threshing floor of Oman, the Jebusite.” This place was 
designated because here it was that the destroying angel 
paused in his work, whilst on his way to Jerusalem. 
Therefore, at this place, the special altar should be set 
up, that all might understand that the arresting of the 
plague was because of the proper religious appeal made 
to the mercy of God. The sin which had been committed 
was public — it was the turning away from God — the calam- 
ity which ensued was public, so also the acknowledgment 
of guilt, and of their dependence upon the mercy of God 
should be public. 

Immediately the king proceeded to fulfill the divine 
direction. He made application to Oman, offering the 
full price for the threshing floor for the purpose of erecting 
an altar there, that the plague might be stayed. Oman 
generously said: “take it to thee, and let my lord the 
king do that which is good in his sight : lo I give thee the 
oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instru- 
ments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering : I 
give it all.” Noble-minded man ! He was ready to stay 
the plague at any personal sacrifice. He knew that his 
property was essential to the staying of the plague. But 
he takes no advantage of this to enhance the price to ob- 
tain money from the king, but freely offers it as a gift. 
How unlike those mercenary creatures who seize upon 
such visitations of providence as the occasions for enrich- 
ing themselves. If indeed they have a specific remedy, 
they will not divulge the secret, but will see their fellow- 
citizens die, unless money is paid to them. Had Oman 


212 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


thus acted, and refused his ground on which to build the 
altar, Jerusalem would have been swept with destruction. 
He generously met the exigency, and was ready to benefit 
his fellowmen, even at a personal sacrifice. But David 
would not take advantage of his liberality, nor would he 
take that which was another’ s for the service of the Lord, 
nor would he offer burnt offerings without cost. Having 
arranged for the threshing floor and other things necessary, 
he built the altar, “he offered the burnt offerings and the 
peace offerings, and called upon the Lord. And the Lord 
answered him from heaven by fire, upon the altar of burnt 
offering. And the Lord commanded the angel, and he 
put up his sword again into his sheath thereof.” Thus 
was the plague arrested, and health, and peace, and tran- 
quility restored to Israel. Such is the power of prayer. 
Such the influence of the hearty confession of sin. Such 
the blessedness of acknowledging God, and bowing in 
cheerful submission to his will. 4 4 Righteousness exalteth 
a nation, whilst sin is a reproach to any people.” 


MORAL. 

Pray for our rulers. If all Christians made it their re- 
ligious duty in their closet and family to pray for our 
rulers — if on every Sabbath, every minister should, in 
public, earnestly pray for our rulers, it would so hedge 
them around that they would not dare to do wrong. Queen 
Mary feared the prayers of John Knox more than an 
army of soldiers. This praying would effectually form 
such a pervading public sentiment as to shape and control 
the thought and action of the nation. It would sustain 
rulers in their arduous duties. Said President Lincoln, 
when leaving home for Washington : “Pray for me.” 


I 


AGUR. 

The Prayer of Common Sense. 


p. 213 


AGUR. 


THE PRAYER OP COMMON SENSE. 


There is a radical difference between praying and say- 
ing onr prayers. This is true whether the saying be by 
extempore or printed forms of prayer : whether it be in 
the closet, at the family altar, or the public services of the 
sanctuary. In the saying of prayers there may be the con- 
viction that prayer is a duty, nay a necessity. In this 
case the feeling is very general, with little or no concen- 
tration of desire. But in praying there is concentration 
of desire. The feelings become intense and intensely in- 
dividual. The mind is burdened with the petition, whether 
it is for personal wants, or intercession for others. When 
men pray for what they do not feel that they seriously 
need, and pleadingly desire to have, they pray amiss. 
To repeat over every night, as is the life-long custom of 
some, the sweet prayer our mother taught us when chil- 
dren, is not necessarily praying, but may be only the 
saying of a prayer from the force of habit. When we 
pray for the forgiveness of sin, it is not all sins in the 
gross, for of these we can have only a faint conception. 
We should have in mind, with sorrowing repentant feel- 
ings, some particular sin, which burdens our conscience, 
and for which we earnestly plead to be forgiven. The 
assurance that, the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin, 
and the promises of being heard and answered, is the en- 
couragement to pray with importunate earnestness. If 

p. 214 


AGUE. 


215 


we want the sin forgiven, we should believe that the prom- 
ise is sure, and that if we ask in the spirit of true prayer, 
we shall have forgiveness. Faith, or trust in the promise, 
becomes an essential element of prevailing prayer. 4 ‘With- 
out faith it is impossible to please him : for he that com- 
eth to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a re- 
warder of them that diligently seek him.” — Heb. 11 : 6. 
This faith is not a general impression that God exists, 
but a realizing sense of his existence, as the Creator and 
Sustainer of all beings, and of his presence ; and that we 
are speaking to a present God, and not to one afar off. It 
is not a vague feeling that God is kind and forgiving, but 
the unwavering conviction that he is truthful and faithful 
to his word, “a rewarder of them that diligently seek 
him.” Confidence in his word is what he expects ; there- 
fore he says “let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. 
For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with 
the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he 
shall receive anything of the Lord.” — Jas. 1 : 6, 7. 

We need not trouble and disquiet ourselves, either with 
the metaphysical discriminations or theological disquisi- 
tions about “ the prayer of faith” We know that with- 
out faith, trustful confidence in God, there can be no true 
prayer. So we also know, that where the Lord sees trust, 
though it be very feeble, he honors it and will favorably 
entertain the prayer of such. If diffident and distrustful 
of ourselves, as to what to ask for, as we ought, he says 
“if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that 
giveth to all men liberally, and upraideth not ; and it shall 
be given him.” — Jas. 1 : 5. 

When a man puts his hand, as it were, upon a particu- 
lar sin, perhaps his easily besetting sin, and, at the throne 
of grace, heartily says : O Lord, I know this sin is wrong, 
it hurts and hinders me, but I find, with all my resolution 
and determination, it is too strong for me; I come to thee, 
trusting in thy promise, which cannot fail, and beg of 


216 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


thee that thy strength may be made perfect in my weak- 
ness, so that I may conquer this sin. This prayer is in 
faith, and the needed strength will be given. 

Prayer thus offered begets expectation. It looks for 
the answer. Said David: u My voice shalt thou hear in 
the morning, O Lord ; in the morning will I direct my 
prayer unto thee, and look up.” As the archer, when 
he draws his bow and shoots his arrow, follows it with 
his eye, and looks up with expectation to see the game 
come down, so David, when he prayed, looked up with 
expectation to see the answer come down. Still stronger, 
if possible, does he express the idea of expectation. 4 ‘ My 
soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for 
the morning. I say, more than they that watch for the 
morning.” — Ps. 180 : 6. If, when we pray, we do not 
expect the answer, we ask amiss, and receive not. The 
prayer and determination of the Psalmist was: “ Give ear, 
O Lord, unto my prayer, and attend unto the voice of my 
supplication. In the day of my trouble I will call upon 
thee: for thou wilt answer me.” — Ps. 86 : 7. Saith the 
Lord : “ Call upon me in the day of trouble : I will deliver 
thee, and thou shalt glorify me.” — Ps. 50 : 15. 

The Scriptures teach us, that in addition to faith, the 
thing we desire must be in accordance with the divine 
will. “And this is the confidence we have in him, that 
if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.” 
— 1 John 5 : 14. On some things God has revealed his 
will. For example: “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt 
thou return.” — Gen. 3 : 19. This is true of every human 
being. Hence it does not follow, that because a man de- 
votedly loves his wife, and prayerfully desires the con- 
tinuance of her life, not only for his own comfort, and the 
well-being of his children, but also because of her eminent 
usefulness in the church, that his prayer should be grant- 
ed. In obedience to the expressed will of God, it is a 
necessity that she should die sometime, within the usual 


AGUE. 


217 


limits of life. It must therefore remain with God, whose 
wisdom comprehends all reasons, to decide upon the time, 
the place, and the manner of her death. In this and in 
all other cases involving the same principle, the prayer 
must be made in the spirit of cheerful submission to the 
divine will. With regard to the spiritual interests of men, 
by the work of the holy spirit, in his regenerating and 
sanctifying agencies, he has also revealed his will. “If 
ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto 
your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father 
give the holy spirit to them that ask him ?” — Luke 11 : 13. 
When men truly pray for these influences, in their mani- 
fold operations, they may know assuredly, that they shall 
receive that for w T hich they pray, because it is in accord- 
ance with the divine will. 

As all merely temporal interests are of infinitely less 
importance than the eternal welfare of the soul, they, 
under the wise, benevolent government of God, will be 
granted or withheld, as they either promote or damage 
the spiritual interests of his people. It does not follow, 
because a Christian ardently, perseveringly, and prayer- 
fully desires the possession of wealth, with the imagining 
that he would do much good with it, that his prayer should 
be granted. He does not know of what manner of spirit 
he is, and what changes the possession of wealth would 
work in him. To grant his prayer might decidedly injure 
him spiritually, and curtail, rather than increase his use- 
fulness. 

We also learn, from the inspired word, that there are 
necessary qualifications in the man who offers prevailing 
prayer. “ If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, 
ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” 
— Jno. 15 : 7. “Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, 
because we keep his commandments, and do those things 
that are pleasing in his sight.” — 1 Jno. 3 : 22. “Now we 
know that God heareth not sinners : but if any man be 

10 


218 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


a worshiper of God, and doeth his will, him heheareth.” 
— Jno. 9 : 31. When onr Lord says “ whatsoever ye shall 
ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be 
glorified in the Son, and if ye shall ask anything in my 
name, I will do it,” — Jno. 14 : 13, 14, — it is obvious that 
the “whatsoever” and the “anything” must be under- 
stood with the limitations already stated. The “what- 
soever,” as the teachings warrant, confines itself to those 
things which bear upon and promote the spiritual interests 
of his people. The answer will be given if the thing de- 
sired is properly within the sacred enclosure and the sup- 
pliant meets the Scriptural conditions of prevailing prayer. 

It should constantly be borne in mind, and most serious- 
ly considered, that there are states of heart which abso- 
lutely forbid any answer to prayer. Is it not written, 
“ if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear 
me.” — Ps. 66 : 18. “Ye ask and receive not, because ye 
ask amiss, that ye consume it upon your lusts.” — Jas. 
4:3. “If our heart (conscience) condemn us, God is 
greater than our hearts and knoweth all things ; if our 
heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward 
God, and whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because 
we keep his commandments, and' do those things that are 
pleasing in his sight.” — 1 Jno. 3 : 20-22. Purity and un- 
selfishness are indispensable. Therefore said the Psalm- 
ist, “I will wash my hands in innocency, so will I com- 
pass thine altar, O Lord.”— Ps. 26 : 6. And said the 
Apostle, “I will that men pray everywhere, lifting up 
holy hands without wrath and doubting.” — 1 Tim. 6 : 8. 
An unforgiving spirit will prevent the answer. “ Forgive 
us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” “For if ye for- 
give men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also 
forgive you : but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, 
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” — Matt. 
6 : 12, 14, 15. “If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and 
there remembreth that thy brother hath aught against 


•AGUE. 


219 


thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way. 
First, be reconciled to thy brother, then come and offer 
thy gift.” — Matt. 5 : 23, 24. Untruthfulness in word, or 
thought, or action is an effectual bar. “ Behold, thou 
desireth truth in the inward parts.” — Ps. 51 : 6. This 
requires that we use all available necessary means to se- 
cure the object prayed for. Such are some of the hin- 
drances which, as sure as “the little foxes spoil the vines 
and the tender grapes,” so these sins will destroy the 
power of prevailing prayer. 


AGUE. 

We find on the inspired page many prayers to which 
answers were given, which illustrate the spirit, and in- 
struct as to the proper topics of true prayer. Among 
these, not one perhaps is more distinctive than the prayer 
of Agur. “Two things have I required of thee; deny 
me them not before I die : remove far from me vanity and 
lies ; give me neither poverty nor riches ; feed me with 
food convenient for me ; lest I be full and deny thee, and 
say who is the Lord \ or lest I be poor, and steal, and take 
the name of the Lord in vain.” — Prov. 30 : 7-9. 

Who this Agur was neither the Scriptures nor tradition 
give us any account. Bunson makes him an inhabitant 
of Massa, and a probable descendant of one of the five 
hundred Simeonites, who drove out the Amalekites from 
Mt. Seir. — 1 Chron. 4 : 42, 43. Hitzig regards him as the 
son of the Queen of Massa, and the brother of king Lemuel, 
mentioned in Prov. 31 : 1. The Jewish Kabbi’s interpret 
Agur as symbolical with Solomon, called the teacher. 
But, as these are surmises, and only surmises, they are 
of no authority. The few glimpses which we have in the 
Bible are sufficient to certify of his occupation and charac- 
ter. It is evident that he was a teacher, probably in the 


220 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


school of the prophets, and that Ithiel and Ucal were his 
disciples. It does not appear that he was the originator 
of proverbs, but that he was the gatherer or collector of 
the wise sayings of others. “I neither learned wisdom, 
nor have the knowledge of the holy,” that is, of those 
educated for the sacred office. It is probably that he was 
cotemporary with or a little subsequent to Solomon, and 
that he resided in Jerusalem. Of his character, several 
things are quite manifest. He was a pious man. He was 
a man of extended and careful observation. He manifest- 
ed consummate knowledge of human nature. He was 
very peculiar in his way of thinking. He displayed a 
great amount of common sense. His manner of prayer 
shows great originality, and at the same time a pious, 
devoted, humble, spiritual state of mind. 

His prayer stands alone, peculiar and distinguished, 
among all the prayers recorded upon the sacred page. 
Whilst it is comprehensive, it enters into detail. It is 
simple, and tilled with spirituality, whilst it discloses the 
deep workings of the human heart. It is eminently ex- 
perimental, whilst it reveals the true mental philosophy. 
It expresses the earnest yearnings of his heart, that the 
exigencies of his case, in his time of trial, might be favor- 
ably regarded. It relies upon the grace of God, that he 
may be kept from falling before the temptations which 
beset both riches and poverty. To all men, in all the ages, 
the example of Agur is instructive. His prayer demands 
devout attention. Some of the items in his deportment 
are exemplary. 


PREMEDITATION. 

He did not regard it as a mere form of religious service, 
which might be attended to at any convenient season. He 
did not enter upon his duty hastily, and thoughtlessly, 


AGUE. 


221 


and without a proper sense of the august presence of God, 
and a clear conviction of his own wants. “He was not 
rash with his mouth, nor did he let his heart be hasty to 
utter anything before God.” He gave himself to previ- 
ous meditation, so that he knew definitely the things he 
needed. These lay pressing upon his heart. These so 
filled his mind as to absorb his thoughts. These begat 
urgency in his petitions and made his prayer warm, ani- 
mated and impressive. “Two things have I required of 
thee.” This is definite. Why two, and only two things ? 
Because these, after a thorough examination of his condi- 
tion, stood out prominently as then most important. His 
experience taught him his danger and what he most 
needed. He practically understood his weak points, and 
where the temptation had the most power over him. To 
these his thoughts are directed, and these grew into par- 
ticular topics of earnest prayer. 

That he understood the necessity, in his case, is evident 
from the great urgency with which he pressed his suppli- 
cation. “Two things have I required of thee, deny me 
them not before I die.” Here is importunity, growing 
directly out of the full conviction of the importance of the 
things asked, and of their importance at that time. This 
is eminently true when some bold temptation crowds up 
its intense urgency ; or when some peril is so imminent 
that nothing but divine interposition can avert it. Thus 
it was with the patriarch Jacob when he prayed all night, 
and wrestled with the angel of the covenant. He knew 
that his brother Esau was near with armed bands and 
with burning wrath. The day was beginning to dawn 
when the troops of Esau would soon be up and moving. 
The angel of the covenant also was about departing. The 
crisis had arrived. He must have relief then and there. 
He could hold in no longer. In his intense agony he 
cried, “I will not let thee go except thou bless me.” 
“And he blessed him there.” — Gen. 32: 26, 29. Such 


222 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


was the importunity of Elijah, Daniel and the Syropheni- 
cian woman. 

Agur wisely brings in death as a motive for greater ur- 
gency. “Deny me them not before I die.” He knew 
that his specific petition could only be answered in this 
life ; that whilst either in wealth or poverty he might fall 
before their temptations. In this life he must have the 
benefit, — the safety of the position for which he prayed. 
In the grave, neither could tempt him. The damage of a 
fall would embitter life here, and its influence would 
reach far into the future. Urgently he pleaded “deny 
me them not before I die.” 

Were Christians more constantly to remember the 
shortness and uncertainty of life, and that what they do 
for God and their fellow-men, must be done quickly, how 
impassioned and importunate would be their praying. 
They would feel that they could not be denied, and with 
David would plead, “ Give ear, O Lord, unto my prayer ; 
and attend to the voice of my supplication.” — Ps. 86 : 6. 
And with Agur, “ deny me them not before I die.” 

Is it not to be feared that much of what men think is 
praying, is performed as a mere matter of duty to quiet 
conscience ? that it is done in haste, with no previous med- 
itation, and no sense of particular want, and may, there- 
fore, not embody in it a solitary element of true prayer ? 
I trust I am not uncharitable when I add how seldom is 
it that men have any impressive and urgent errand at the 
throne of grace. In their closet, as is their daily custom, 
they kneel at the mercy-seat ; but is it with a burdened 
heart to say, “two things have I required of thee, deny 
me them not before I die ?” Is it unkind for me to inti- 
mate that but few, after they have said their prayers, can 
tell for what one thing, with deep and serious earnestness, 
they have prayed. How few are conscious of a burden 
so heavy as to compel them to wrestling prayer. They 
do not premeditate, they do not feel any particular want, 
they neither pray fervently, nor expect an answer. 


AGUE. 


223 


Is it not often the case in the social gatherings for 
prayer, that the person who leads the people in prayer, 
has no particular sense of want, no burden to lay before 
the Lord ? Such prayers are not the intense musings of 
the heart, kindling the fires of devotion, and causing ear- 
nest struggling emotions. The prevailing prayer does 
not depend upon the quantity, but the quality. It was 
well then, in Agur, to know definitely the 44 two things” 
for which he would pray, and knowing these, to seek for 
them with strong desire and importunate supplication. 
That Agur was sincere, we cannot doubt, if we admit 
that his petition was a true prayer. For there can be no 
true prayer where there is not sincerity. He understood, 
doubtless, that sincerity demanded of him a cheerful, 
prompt and confiding obedience to the whole will of God, 
so far as it was known to him. It demanded the entire 
consecration of himself personally, and of all he possessed, 
absolutely and cordially to God. To withhold anything, 
saying, in his heart, this one thing I reserve, would mar 
the consecration. It would be the turning away his ear 
from hearing the law. “He that turneth away his ear 
from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be an abomi- 
nation.” — Prov. 28 : 9. What was true in the offering up 
of the petition of Agur, is true of all prayer. 


PEESCNAL DISTEUST. 

Agur was distrustful of himself, and prayed to be re- 
moved from the power of temptation. 4 4 Remove far from 
me, vanity and lies.” From what he had seen of the 
frailty of others, who had been strong and valiant, and 
from what he knew of his own weakness, he was afraid 
to trust to his own resolution and unaided strength. 4 4 He 
that trusteth in his own heart is a fool,” says the proverb. 
He knew, perhaps from bitter experience, that the things 


224 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


of time and sense have a seductive power. He knew that 
their demands were inexorable when they appealed to 
the corrupt affections. He knew that unless he should 
be kept by the power of God, he would certainly fall, and 
be driven on as is the chaff before the storm. He did not, 
therefore, rush into the circle where temptations are strong. 
He did not place himself where God must, unasked, keep 
him, or the cause of religion suffer disgrace. He paused, 
deliberately looked at the dangers, and prays that the 
sources of temptation may be removed far from him. 
This was wise. This showed that he was a man of sound 
mind, of good common sense. 

Thus has Christ taught us to pray: 4 4 lead us not into 
temptation, but deliver us from evil. ’ 9 In the spirit of this 
teaching, Agur prays, 4 4 remove far from me vanity and 
lies.” This petition is very comprehensive. It included 
everything that is unsubstantial — all false shows — all false 
appearances of happiness, all imaginary good, all vain 
expectations. He had seen how strongly men are attract- 
ed by the pomp, the parade, the w r ealth, the pleasures and 
the fashions of life. He had seen how engrossed men be- 
come in their worldly excitements, which destroy spirit- 
uality, and all sense of God and eternity. Thus are they 
a vanity and a lie. How sad, that from age to age the 
same mad career of worldliness goes on. The votaries of 
wealth, of ambition, of fashion, and of pleasure are wholly 
absorbed in their pursuits, to the total neglect of their 
eternal interests. Into this terrible vortex of worldliness 
too many of the professed followers of Christ plunge. They 
are whirled in its giddy, intoxicating currents, until they 
are so infatuated as to forsake spiritual communion with 
God, and seek their pleasures in these seductive and perish- 
able sources. Agur prayed that God would remove these 
44 vanity and lies” far from him ; so far, as to be beyond 
their tempting power. Conscious of his own weakness, 
and certain that he could withstand them no better than 


AGUE. 


225 


others, lie sought refuge in prayer, for the divine interpo- 
sition. He knew, that if once caught in their circling 
currents, he would be drawn on, until he would be over- 
whelmed in the vortex. “ The wisdom of the prudent is 
to understand his way.” — Prov. 14:8. “The prudent 
man looketh well to his goings.” — Prov. 14 : 15. “A 
prudent man f orseeth the evil, and hideth himself. ’ ’ — Prov. 
27 : 12. “The wise in heart shall be called prudent.” — 
Prov. 16 : 21. Agur, as the prudent, wise man, showed 
his good, common sense in distrusting himself, in being 
contented with spiritual joys, and praying that he might 
be kept from temptation. 


THE S0TJECES OF TEMPTATION. 

He particularly prayed to be delivered from the two 
extremes of temptation. “Give me neither poverty nor 
riches ; feed me with food convenient for me.” He knew 
that poverty, in its grinding necessities, had its peculiar 
temptations. He knew that riches were deceitful in their 
workings, and, that these, falling in with the deceitfulness 
of sin, and the deceitfulness of the heart, were a three- 
fold source of temptation. Seeing that dangers were on 
either hand he pleads for a portion that is midway. ‘ ‘ Feed 
me with food convenient for me.” Literally, “the bread 
of my allowance or portion ;” — the supply needed from 
day to day. The original words may be rendered, “ give 
me as a prey my allowance of food.” This alludes to the 
hunter who, feeling his constant dependence upon provi- 
dence, prays that he may find each day, the “food con- 
venient for him,” to sustain life and minister to his com- 
fort. This trustful prayer, honors the assurance “ bread 
shall be given him; his waters shall be sure.”— Isa. 83 : 
16. It breathes the spirit of the Lord’ s teachings. “ Give 
us this day our daily bread.” — Matt. 6 : 11. “ Therefore 


226 


BIBLE PEINCIPLES. 


take no thought, saying, what shall we eat ? or where- 
withal shall we be clothed ? for your heavenly Father 
knoweth that ye have need of all these.” — Matt. 6 : 31, 
32. “Take heed and beware of covetousness: for a 
man’ s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things 
which he possesseth.” — Luke 12 : 15. “A little that a 
righteous man hath is better than the riches of many 
wicked. Ps. 37: 16. “Having food and raiment, let 
us be therewith content.” 

The arguments urged for contentment are simple, to the 
comprehension of the most obtuse intellect. “For we 
brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can 
carry nothing out.” “But they that will be rich, fall 
into temptation, and a snare, and into many foolish and 
hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and per- 
dition. For the love of money is the root of all evil.” — 
1 Tim. 6: 9, 10. The conclusion to which the apostle 
comes, is the same as the prayer of Agur. ‘ ‘ Godliness 
with contentment, is great gain.” “Be careful for noth- 
ing ; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with 
thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, 
and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, 
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” 
— Phil. 4 : 6, 7. 

All that the most wealthy can get out of their treasures, 
besides their anxieties, fears and troubles, is a living, food 
and raiment. “Better is little, with the fear of the Lord, 
than great treasure and trouble therewith.” — Prov. 15 : 16. 
“Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be 
contented with such things as ye have : for he hath said, 
I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee, so that we may 
boldly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not fear 
what man shall do unto me.” — Heb. 13: 5 ; 6. “When 
I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, lacked ye 
any thing ? And they said nothing.”: — Luke 22 : 35. “I 
have been young, and now am old ; yet have I not seen 


AGUR. 


227 


tlie righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.” — Ps. 
37 : 25. 

When we review the items of Agnr’ s prayer, — his chief 
concern for divine protection, — his moderate desire for 
worldly things, — his distrust of himself, and his child-like, 
contented, thankful confidence in God, is not the convic- 
tion strong and vivid, that he was a wise man, in praying 
as he did, and that his prayer was eminently the prayer 
of common sense. 


THE REASONS. 

That he was a man of good, common sense, appears un- 
questionable, when we scrutinize the reasons which form 
tlie argument of his prayer. “Give me neither poverty 
nor riches, feed me with food convenient for me ; lest I 
be full and deny thee, and I say who is the Lord ? or lest 
I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in 
vain.” These reasons or arguments are the natural out- 
growth of an honest purpose to make the most of life. 
They culminated in his mind, as he carefully studied the 
operations of riches and poverty, upon those with whom 
he was intimate, and they became the occasion for his 
prayer. 

He saw that riches often begat the spirit of pride and 
independence, and he pleaded to be kept from that dan- 
ger. Of this tendency in the possession of riches, there 
are many recorded instances. Of Sodom, it is written, 
“behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, 
fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her ; 
and they were haughty, and committed abominations be- 
fore me. — Ezek. 16 : 49. Thus, too, it was with Israel, 
whom Moses poetically designated by the name Jeshuran. 
God had poured in upon them the bounties of his provi- 
dence, had enriched them, and made them powerful 


228 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


among the nations, and the result was that “ Jeshnran 
waxed fat and kicked,— then he forsook God which made 
him, and lightly esteemed the rock of his salvation. ” 
“They denied God, they sacrificed to devils, not to God ; 
to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came 
newly up, whom their fathers feared not.” — Deut. 32 : 
15, 17. 

By reason of the wealth and power which Pharaoh 
possessed, stimulating his depraved affections, he felt 
himself to be independent of all other beings ; not only 
of his fellow mortals, but of God himself. When the com- 
mand of God, came to him, certified as it was by miracu- 
lous evidences, to let the children of Israel go : he prompt- 
ly said, “who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to 
let Israel go V ’ 

The seductive power of prosperity is strikingly seen in 
the case of Uzziah, one of the kings of J udah. After the 
murder of his father Amaziah, he was, by the choice of 
the people, called to the throne at the early age of sixteen. 
His reign continued for fifty-two years. During the 
greater part of this time he lived in the fear of God. The 
record is “he did that which was right in the sight of 
the Lord” — “he sought God” — “as long as he sought 
the Lord, God made him to prosper.” Under him the 
kingdom of Judah attained a degree of prosperity which 
it had not known since the days of Solomon. He was 
greatly aided and influenced by the prophet Zechariah. 
Increasing wealth and power so elated him, that he in- 
vaded the peculiar offices of the priests and determined to 
burn incense upon the altar of God. In this rash act he 
was opposed by Azariah, the High Priest, and eighty 
others. Enraged at their opposition he rushed forward 
with his censer, when he was then and there smitten with 
leprosy. The sad record is, “But when he was strong, 
his heart was lifted up to his destruction : for he trans- 
gressed against the Lord his God.” 


AGUE. 


229 


A still more admonitory case is found in the history of 
Hezekiah, the twelfth king of Judah. Though the son of 
the apostate Aliaz, he early manifested the true spirit of 
piety. It is refreshing to notice that in the times of peril, 
— of deep calamity, — when confederated hosts compassed 
the holy city, and reduced the people to the severest straits 
of famine : when proud armies threatened to destroy Jeru- 
salem with its glorious temple, then he stood firm for God. 
By the confidence which he manifested in the divine provi- 
dence he cheered and encouraged the hearts of all the 
people. When sore sickness came upon him, which 
brought him to the borders of the grave, then by prayer 
he devoutly sought help and deliverance from God. But 
when health returned — when invading armies were driven 
away — when worldly prosperity set in, so that Hezekiah 
“had exceeding much riches and honor and made treas- 
uries for silver and for gold, and precious stones, and 
spices, and shields, and all manner of precious jewels, 
with store houses and possessions of flocks” — “then 
Hezekiah rendered not again according to the benefit done 
unto him ; for his heart was lifted up,” “and he humbled 
not himself for the pride of his heart.” 

This case is not exceptional, but stands forth illustra- 
tive, and forewarning, that, where not protected by the 
grace of God, every man is sure to fall before the tempta- 
tions of wealth and power. The record tells that God left 
Hezekiah “ to try him that he might know all that was 
in his heart.” — 2 Chron. 82 : 31. If this good man, when 
left to himself, was thus injured by prosperity, who may 
be able to stand. “ As in water face answereth to face, so 
the heart of man to man.” — Prov. 27 : 19. “ For the rich 

man’s wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in 
his own conceit.” — Prov. 18 : 11. “ For the turning away 

of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools 
shall destroy them.” — Prov. 1 : 82. 

As wealth places in the hands of men the means of grati- 


230 


BIBLE PKIXCIPLES. 


fying their desires, so their desires gain in strength, until 
they acquire the complete mastery. Thus men are en- 
abled to carry out their own will, until authority and 
dictation so grow upon them as to shape and determine 
their character and thus efface the lovlier traits of the 
Christian. W ealth begets luxury and the pride of life. 
It stimulates the thirst for splendid living and fascinating 
circles of fashion. Thus are they encircled with influences 
unfriendly to spirituality. Thus are conservative agencies 
prostrated, the door is thrown wide open for all kinds of 
temptations to enter and work with undermining power. 

With increasing wealth men are tempted so to enlarge 
their business operations as to engross their time and 
energies in temporal affairs, to the dangerous neglect of 
their spiritual interests. Their hearts, like the inn in Beth- 
lehem, are so filled that there is no room for Christ. Such 
persons may think well of religion, may regularly attend 
upon public worship, may have serious thoughts, may 
purpose, in their mind, at some future time to give ear- 
nest heed to preparation for eternity; but, “the care ol 
this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word 
and it becometh unfruitful.” His treasure is not in re- 
ligion, and consequently his heart is not there. The 
greater magnet will overcome all minor attractions. Thus 
as worldly prosperity places men in circumstances un- 
favorable to their spiritual interest, Agur showed his 
strong common sense in the prayer he uttered. 

A still more serious peril often comes from the posses- 
sion of wealth, when it awakens and increases the spirit 
of covetousness. This is illustrated in two ways : in the 
manner in which he fills his bags ; and in the carefulness 
with which he seals them. In the former is seen the 
eagerness to grasp, and in the latter, the firmness of the 
grasp. “There is no end of all his labour ; neither is his 
eye satisfied with riches.” — Ecc. 4:8. “He that loveth 
silver, shall not be satisfied with silver ; nor he that loveth 


AGUE. 


231 


abundance with increase.” — Ecc. 5 : 10. This fact, so 
prominent in the days of Solomon, has never ceased to be 
a fact. It is repeated in every generation. So withering 
to all spiritual influences is this sin, that the scriptures 
are intensely urgent in their warnings. They group it 
with the most debasing form of wickedness, and certainly 
shutting such out of heaven.” “ Know ye not that the 
unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God \ Be 
not deceived ; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adul- 
terers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with 
mankind, nor thieves nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor 
revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of 
God.” — 1 Cor. 6 : 9, 10. “But fornication, and all un- 
cleanness, or covetousness, let it not once be named 
among you, as becometh saints.” — Eph. 5 : 3. “Mortify, 
therefore, your members which are upon the earth ; for- 
nication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupis- 
cence, and covetousness , which is idolatry .” — Col. 3: 5. 
“ Let your conversation be without covetousness ; and be 
content with such things as ye have : for he hath said, I 
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” — Heb. 13: 3. 
Emphatic are the teachings of Christ. His idea of covet- 
ousness is comprehensive. Whilst it takes in the avari- 
cious, and all who hoard up money from the simple love 
of money, as money, it also includes that far larger and 
more respectable class, who gain and use their wealth 
simply for their personal gratification. Their business, 
and the manner of conducting it, may be unexceptionable, 
and their use of it free and generous, still they, in the 
Saviour’ s view, may be covetous. ” “ Take heed, and be- 

ware of covetousness : for a man’ s life consisteth not in the 
abundance of the things which he possesseth.” And he 
spake a parable unto them, saying, ‘ 4 the ground of a certain 
rich man brought forth plentifully ; and he thought with- 
in himself saying, what shall I do, because I have no room 
where to bestow my fruits % And he said, this will I do : 


232 


BIBLE PEINCIPLES. 


I will pull down my barns and build greater ; and there 
will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will 
say to my soul, soul, thou hast much goods laid up for 
many years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be. merry. 
But God said to him, thou fool, this night thy soul shall 
be required of thee ; then whose shall these things be, 
which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up 
treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” — Luke 
12 : 15-21. No intimation is given that any injustice was 
done to the laborers who gathered in his abundant har- 
vest. No word of censure, because of avarice. He lived 
freely. The point, the intensely momentous point, was, 
that not regarding himself as a steward of God, he used 
his wealth for his personal gratification. “Lo, this is 
the man that made not God his strength ; but trusted in 
the abundance of his riches.” — Ps. 52 : 7. No wonder 
that our Lord hath said, “that a rich man shall hardly 
enter into the kingdom of heaven.” “ It is easier for a 
camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich 
man to enter into the kingdom of God.” — Matt. 19 : 23, 
24. When the disciples were amazed, saying, “ who then 
can be saved?” Jesus replied, “with men, this is im- 
possible ; but with God, all things are possible.” With- 
out the grace of God, keeping such from the temptations, 
it is certain that they who trust in riches cannot enter 
into the kingdom of God. “Ye cannot serve God and 
mammon.” — Mat. 6 : 24. The prayer of Agur, “give me 
not riches, lest I be full and deny thee, and say, who is 
the Lord,” was eminently, the prayer of good, sound, 
common sense. 

His prayer was more comprehensive, as there were fear- 
ful dangers on the other hand. “Give me not poverty, 
lest I steal and take the name of my God in vain.” There 
are temptations peculiar to poverty, with which the rich, 
or those in comfortable circumstances, can have no sym- 
pathy. These special temptations are often overlooked 


AGUE. 


233 


when the poor are arraigned, and judgment is passed upon 
them. Men are prone to attribute greater depravity to 
the vices of the poor, than to those of the rich. Whilst 
the vices of the poor are gross and offensive to the more 
refined and cultivated, still the vices of the cultivated are 
only a genteeler way to perdition, and, by reason of their 
better advantages and culture, may, in the sight of God, 
be the more heinous. There are hard grindings of poverty 
which crowd men on to desperation. Many, by the pinch- 
ings of cold and starvation, are driven to theft and other 
criminal acts, who, with a scanty subsistence, or adequate 
compensation for their labor, would have lived and died 
honest and virtuous. Yery many, it is to be feared, are 
driven to walks of infamy by the abjectness of their pov- 
erty. Some, perhaps many cases, are produced by the 
heartless avarice of their employers, whose selfishness so 
reduces their wages that to live upon them is impossible. 
Whilst no apology can be made for crime, nor any cir- 
cumstances render it venial, we should nevertheless not 
too severely judge those made criminal by poverty, »as 
though they were ‘ ‘ sinners above all others. ’ ’ How many 
who indignantly condemn such as vile and wicked, would 
act any better if placed in their conditions of poverty % 
Comfortable worldly circumstances doubtless, rather than 
any firmer principles of morality, have held many back 
from crimes which they condemn in others. “The de- 
struction of the poor is their poverty.” — Prov. 10 : 15. 
“The poor is hated even of his own neighbor.” — Prov. 
14 : 20. “ All the brethren of the poor do hate him : how 

much more do his friends go far from him ? he pursueth 
them with words, yet they are wanting to him.”— Prov. 
19:7. Poverty truly has its temptations. 

Distrust of God is the germinating sin. When the man 
has abandoned all confidence in the providential govern- 
ment of God, under the sense of want, he gives himself 
up recklessly to the cravings of his appetite. Often, 


234 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


among the poor, the suffering poor, are found illustrious 
examples of unshaken confidence in God. They rest upon 
his word of promise. “ He will regard the prayer of the 
destitute, and not despise their prayer.” — Ps. 102 : 17. 
“ This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved 
him out of his trouble.” — Ps. 34 : 6. “He shall deliver 
the needy when he crieth ; the poor also, and him that 
hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and 
shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their 
soul from deceit and violence : and precious shall their 
blood be in his sight.” — Ps. 72 : 12-14. No such prom- 
ises are given to those who distrust God.. Such swing 
aloof from all the restraints of the divine law. They be- 
come a law unto themselves. They utterly contemn God, 
and take his name in vain. They push on in their des- 
perate way, until the hand of justice seizes them, and 
demands the penalty of the violated law. 

Thus strangely do extremes meet. When full we deny 
God. When empty we contemn him. Thus are there 
dangers on either hand. Wealth has its fascinations, — 
its corrupting influences, and its hardening agencies. 
Poverty has its degrading and its corrupting power. 
Riches are not to be despised, for they are God’ s gift. The 
rich are the trustees, for the time being, of his treasures. 
They are to hold and use them for him and his service. 
Those to whom were committed the talents, were to use 
them, not for personal gratification, but for the Master, 
the true owner. To such the voice of God speaks with 
intense emphasis. “Charge them that are rich in this 
world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncer- 
tain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us all things 
richly to enjoy ; that they do good, that they be rich in 
good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate ; 
laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against 
the time to come, that they lay hold on eternal life.” — 1 
Tim. 6 : 17-19. Precious privileges vouched safe to every 


AGUE. 235 

one wlio will properly use the riches committed to his 
charge. 

Neither is honest poverty to be despised. It is the al- 
lotment of providence. Such are freed from the more 
onerous and fearful responsibilities and temptations of 
wealth. Such, trusting in God, are always under his 
guardianship and protection. Such, have special prom- 
ises ; and are included in the assurance. “And we 
know that all things work together for good, to them that 
love God.” — Horn. 8 : 28. Honest poverty, with trust in 
God, will neither breed envy nor discontent. David once 
was envious of the prosperity of the wicked, — nay was 
discontented. “Behold, these are the ungodly, who 
prosper in the world ; they increase in riches. Verily I 
have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in 
innocency.” “When I sought to know this it was too 
wonderful for me: until I went into the sanctuary of 
God ; then understood I their end.” — Ps. 73 : 3. God’s 
providence must not be judged by present appearances, 
as there is a future condition for every one. There the 
adjustment will be perfect. The benevolence and the 
wisdom of all God’s providential dealings with his crea- 
tures in this world, will stand forth in brightness, with- 
out any overshadowing cloud. Godliness with content- 
ment is great gain. Having food and raiment, let us 
therewith be content.” — 1 Tim. 6 : 6, 8. 

Riches and poverty have each their specific temptations. 
When given up to either, the grace of God being with- 
held, the progress to ruin eternal, is certain — is absolute. 
Well then did Agur pray “give me neither poverty nor 
riches: feed me with food convenient for me.” In this 
prayer his good common sense stands out to the admira- 
tion of all, though it may be adopted and followed only 
by a few rare persons of like common sense. 

The late Rev. Richard Cecil, M. A., of London, has re- 
corded the following: “I once went to a friend for the 


236 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


express purpose of calling him out into the world. I said 
to him it is your duty to accept the loan of £10,000, and 
to push yourself forward into an ampler sphere. But he 
was a rare character : and his case was rare. His em- 
ployers had said ; we are ashamed you should remain so 
long a servant in our house, with the whole weight of our 
affairs on you. W e wish you to enter as a principal with 
us and will advance you £10, 000. It is the custom of the 
city, — it is your due, — we are dissatisfied to see you in 
your present sphere. I assured him that it appeared to 
me to be his duty to accede to the proposal. But I did 
not prevail. He said, sir, I have often heard from you that 
it is no easy thing to master the world. I have everything 
I wish. More would encumber me, increase my difficul- 
ties and endanger me.” This was living out the prayer 
of Agur. 

That the prayers of wicked men are eminently selfish is 
readily admitted. They seldom call upon God except when 
they are in trouble. Then they cry for deliverance with 
no sense of guilt, — no penitence, and no desire for refor- 
mation. Hence it is written, “ the sacrifice of the wicked 
is an abomination to the Lord : but the prayer of the up- 
right is his delight.” — Prov. 15 : 8. “ The sacrifice of the 

wicked is abomination : how much more, when he bring- 
eth it with a wicked mind. ’ ’ — Prov. 21 : 27. Because of the 
supreme selfishness of such it is written, “the plowing 
of the wicked is sin.” — Prov. 21 : 4. What if the plow- 
man should set upon a stake at the end of each furrow 
the word “self.” I care not for God, I care only for 
‘ 4 self. ’ ’ This state of mind, which ignores God and places 
self as supreme, gives moral character to all his actions, 
even the simple labor of plowing, and makes it sinful in the 
sight of God. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the 
Lord will not hear me.” — Ps. 66 : 18. 

May it not be feared, that even the prayers of good men 
are at times more ambitious and selfish than they imagine ? 


AGUE. 


237 


They plead for their worldly prosperity more intensely 
than for their spiritual advancement and enlarged useful- 
ness. They plead for the conversion of their children, 
that their salvation from ruin and suffering may be se- 
cured, rather than that God may be glorified, and they 
prepared to serve him with unreserved devotedness. They 
pray for their children and friends, but think not of the 
masses who never enter the house of prayer. They are 
anxious for their children, as they should be, but they con- 
fine their anxieties to that narrow circle, and put forth 
ro efforts, either by personal service, or contributed 
.means, to seek after those who are strangers to the house 
of God. May it not be that the solicitude and prayers 
are often confined to the advancement of our church and 
our denomination, rather than to the enlargement of the 
empire of Christ ? 

When prayer is made for temporal things, which cer- 
tainly we are taught to seek, “give us this day our daily 
bread,” is it not the case that even good men plead for 
enlarged prosperity, rather than for grace to make a right 
use of the prosperity with which they are already intrust- 
ed ? How rarely does the man of God wrestle with “ the 
angel of the covenant,” saying, “two things I have re- 
quired of thee, deny me them not before I die : remove 
far from me, vanity and lies ; give me neither poverty 
nor riches ; feed me with food convenient for me ; lest I 
be full and deny thee, and say, who is the Lord ? or lest 
I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in 
vain.” 

We admire with devout gratitude, the kind arrange- 
ment of divine providence, in ordering the affairs of men. 
Notwithstanding all the labors, anxieties, and plannings, 
it is only a few who become very rich. Notwithstanding 
all the intemperance, vice and improvidence, only a com- 
paratively few, become abjectly poor. 

The great, the overwhelming majority of the human 


238 


BIBLE PE,IH CIPLES. 


family, have their daily bread, and the substantial com- 
forts of life. They are the- best situated, even for this 
life, and certainly for preparation for the life to come. It 
is a fact, disclosed in the history of the Christian church, 
that the great body of spiritually minded disciples, and 
those engaged in active labors, are found in the common 
walks of life, being in comfortable circumstances. There 
are indeed, honorable and illustrious exceptions, where 
wealth and talent, and refinement, and social position, are 
all consecrated to the service of the Lord. The self-denial 
and beautiful example of such, abounding in labors, is 
worthy of all praise. Such, seek not the praise of men. 
Their aim is to please and honor their Lord. God grant 
unto his church, the large multiplication of such devoted 
Christians. 

There is cause for gratitude, that the larger portion of 
the people are in comfortable circumstances, having 
enough of provision, — sufficiency of clothing, — a habita- 
ble home, and a productive employment. This condition 
is far more congenial with the agencies of the gospel than 
any other. A very large array of facts prove that it is 
far more likely that saving influences will reach the fami- 
lies of such, than of those placed either in the aboundings 
of wealth, or the extremes of poverty. “ For ye see your 
calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the 
flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.” — 1 
Cor. 1: 26. Thanks to the Lord, it only reads, “not 
many,” — it is not exclusive, “not any.” The way is 
open for all, the wise, the mighty, and the noble ; to show 
their wisdom, and enoble themselves by their unreserved 
and untiring devotion to Jesus Christ, their Lord and 
Redeemer. To the present time, the record is true, “not 
many.” A better time is coming, when, by the power of 
the indwelling spirit, all hearts, and all treasures of 
wealth and talent, shall be consecrated willingly to the 
service of God. 


AGUE. 


239 


For the time being, God having chosen for ns the best 
situation for our permanent and spiritual welfare, let us 
be contented and grateful workers in his vineyard. 

AMEN — SO BE IT. 


WITHOUT CAREFULNESS. 


Master ! how shall I bless thy name 
For thy tender love to me, 

For the sweet enablings of thy grace, 

So sovereign, yet so free, 

That have taught me to obey thy word 
And cast my care on thee ! 

They tell of weary burdens borne 
For discipline of life, 

Of long anxieties and doubts, 

Of struggle and of strife, 

Of a path of dim perplexities 
With fears and shadows rife. 

Oh, I have trod that weary path, 

With burdens not a few, 

With shadowy faith that thou wouldst lead 
And help me safely through, 

Trying to follow and obey, 

And bear my burdens too. 

Master ! dear master, thou didst speak 
And yet I did not hear, 

Or long ago I might have ceased 
From every care and fear, 

And gone rejoicing on my way 
From brightening year to year. 


240 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES, 


Just now and then some steeper slope 
Would seem so hard to climb, 

That I must cast my load on thee, 
And I left it for a time, 

And wondered at the joy at heart, 
Like sweetest Christmas chime. 

A step or two on winged feet, 

And then I turn to share 
The burden thou hadst taken up 
Of ever-pressing care ; 

So what I would not leave with thee 
Of course I had to bear. 

At last thy precious precepts fell 
On opened heart and ear, 

A varied and repeated strain, 

I could not choose but hear, 
Enlinking promise and command 
Like harp and clarion clear. 

No anxious thought upon thy brow 
The watching world should see, 

No carefulness ! O child of God, 

For nothing careful be ! 

But cast thou all thy care on him 
Who always cares for thee. 

And now I find thy promise true, 

Of perfect peace and rest ; 

I cannot sigh ; I can but sing, 

While leaning on thy breast, 

And leaving everything to thee, 

Whose ways are always best. 


Frances Ridley Havergal. 


9 


HIEL, THE BETHELITE. 

The Madness of Infidelity. 


p. 241 


11 


HIEL, THE BETHELITE. 


THE MADNESS OP INFIDELITY. 


The first mention of Jericho, in the Scriptures, is in con- 
nection with the visit of the two spies sent out by Joshua. 
They found the city entrenched upon an hill, and sur- 
rounded by walls so massive that houses were built upon 
them. Soon the presence of these strangers excited the 
suspicion of the citizens. They told the king “ there 
came men in hither, to-night, of the children of Israel to 
search out the country.” The king immediately gave 
orders to bring them forth from the house of Rahab, 
where they lodged. This woman, whether influenced by 
the generosity of her heart, or mysteriously guided by a 
divine influence, sheltered the men from the scrutiny of 
their pursuers. Impressed by the tidings which she had 
learned of the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt, 
the dividing of the Red sea, and the success which had 
already attended their journeyings, she felt that Jericho 
would also fall before them. Then she said, ‘ ‘ I pray you, 
swear unto me by the Lord, since I have showed you kind- 
ness, that ye will also show kindness unto my father’ s 
house, and give me a true token that ye will save alive 
my father and my mother, and my brethren and sisters, 
and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. 
And the men answered her, our life for yours. And it 
shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we 
will deal kindly and truly with thee.” “ She let them 

p. 242 


HIEL, THE BETEIELITE. 


243 


down by a cord, through the window, for her honse was 
upon the wall. ’ ’ Following her directions, they hid them- 
selves in the mountains for three days, until those who 
went out after them returned; then they “ passed over 
and came to Joshua, and told him all things that befell 
them.” “ Truly the Lord hath delivered into our hands 
all the land ; for even all the inhabitants of the country 
do faint because of us.” 

Joshua made immediate preparations for crossing the 
ri ver Jordan that he might commence the conquest of the 
promised land. His passage of the river was made through 
the divided waters. When all the hosts of Israel had 
crossed they so surrounded the city that “Jericho was 
straitly shut up : none went out and none went in.” 

It was true of the people of Jericho, as it was with the 
Amorites, that the cup of their iniquity was full. That 
with their corrupting influences and practices they might 
not be a snare to Israel, the Lord had devoted them to 
destruction. “And the city shall be accursed, even it. 
and all that are therein, only Rahab shall live, she and 
all with her in the house, because she hid the messengers 
we sent.” Joshua is directed to compass the city round 
about with his men of war, “and seven priests shall bear 
before the ark seven trumpets of ram’s horns. This was 
to be done once each day for six days consecutively. But 
on the seventh day the men of war were to go round the 
city seven times, and the priests were to blow with the 
trumpets of ram’s horns, still bearing with them the ark.” 
4 4 And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests 
blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, 
shout!” “So the people shouted, with a great shout, 
and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up in- 
to the city, every man straight before him and they took 
the city.” “They utterly destroyed all that was in the 
city save Rahab and her household, both man and woman, 
young and old, ox and sheep, and ass, with the edge of 


244 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


the sword.” “The silver and the gold, and the vessels 
of brass and iron, they put into the treasury of the house 
of the Lord.” “ They burned the city with tire, and all 
that was therein.” So that nothing remained of it but a 



wild heap of ruins. It was at the close of this work of 
destruction that Joshua, under the divine guidance, “ab- 
jured them, saying, cursed be the man before the Lord, 


KIEL, THE BETIIELITE. 


245 


that riseth up and buildeth this city of Jericho : he shall 
lay the foundation thereof in his first-born, and in his 
youngest son shall he set up the gates of it.” — Joshua 6 : 
1-26. This is a prediction as well as a recorded denunci- 
ation. It clearly assumes that some person would in the 
future, enterprise the rebuilding of Jericho, and, notwith- 
standing the penalty of his rashness, would persevere and 
fulfill the prophecy. We note the time when Joshua ut- 
tered this peculiar curse. It was 1451 years before Christ. 

In the first book of Kings 16 : 34, in the 918 year before 
Christ we have the recorded fulfillment. ‘ ‘ In his days did 
Hi el the Bethelite build Jericho ; he laid the foundation 
thereof in Abiram his first born, and set up the gates 
thereof in his youngest son Segub, according to the word 
of the Lord which he spake by Joshua, the son of Nun.” 
For 533 years Jericho lay in ruins. At the expiration of 
those centuries, Hiel the Bethelite, undertook and accom- 
plished the rebuilding of this ruined city. 


THE BUILDEK. 

Who this Hiel was we have no information. His name 
occurs upon the sacred page only this once. It is stated 
that he was a Bethelite. Whether he was a native Jew 
or proselyte is not certain, though, in either case, he had 
knowledge of the Jewish religion. His name, which sig- 
nifies, “ life of God,” would indicate that he was the son 
of Jewish parents. He is called a Bethelite, which gen- 
erally designates the birth-place. Bethel was a celebrated 
city not very far northwest from Jerusalem, belonging to 
Benjamin, but near the border of the tribe of Ephraim. 
It was a place memorable for the incidents which there 
took place. Here Jacob slept, and had the vision of the 
ladder which reached to heaven, on which the angels of 
God were ascending and descending. From this vision 


246 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


it took its name. Here, thirty years later, this patriarch 
built an altar for the worship of Jehovah. After its re- 
building, it became prominent as the resting place of the 
ark of the covenant, and the rearing of the tabernacle. 
After Solomon, it was the seat of gross and degrading 
idolatry. 

It is not positively certain that Bethel was the birth- 
place of Hiel. For Jeroboam, who made Israel to sin, 
at the time of the revolt of the ten tribes, set up at Bethel 
one of his golden calves, that the people might worship 
there, and not go, as formerly, to Jerusalem. Those who 
followed Jeroboam and apostatised from the worship of 
the true God to the honoring of this idol, were called 
Bethelites. There is nothing improbable that he was a 
native of Bethel, and a worshiper of the golden calf. 
Such, in all probability, was the man ; an Israelite by birth, 
and education, but a contemner of God, and a worshiper 
of idols. 


HIS MOTIVES. 

Of these we are left to judge from the usual principles 
on which human nature acts. There were three which, 
under the circumstances, had controlling influence. 

A desire to please the king. It was in the days of 
Ahab, who was one of the worst, if not the worst, next to 
Jeroboam, of all the kings of Israel. It was to Ahab that 
Elijah said, “thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the 
sight of the Lord.” — 1 Kings 21 : 20. Again, “ there was 
none like unto Ahab which did sell himself to work wick- 
edness in the sight of the Lord, whom Jezebel, his wife, 
stirred up. And he did very abominably in following 
idols.” — 1 Kings 21 : 28. Influenced by his wife Jezebel, 
the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Tyre, he persecuted the 
servants of God, slew his prophets, encouraged idolatry 


HIEL, THE BETHELITE. 


247 


and every species of iniquity. It was a day eminently 
characterized for contempt of God. Infidelity ruled in 
high places during the twenty -two years of the reign of 
Ahab. The bold and impious undertaking of Hiel to re- 
build J ericho fell in with the feelings of Ahab, so hostile 
to the true religion. The language of the narrative con- 
veys the impression that the rebuilding of Jericho could 
not have taken place in the reign of any other king. Cer- 
tainly it could not in the reign of any one of the kings of 
Judah. Neither of Saul, nor David, nor Solomon, nor 
Hezekiah. Nor is there found among the kings of Israel, 
another than Ahab, who would have countenanced so im- 
pious an undertaking. All the monuments of the piety 
of his fathers he had swept away. Hiel understood the 
character of his king. He might well believe that the re- 
building of Jericho would secure him the favor of the 
throne and give him commanding power and influence. 
The rebuilding of Jericho would add to the splendor and 
strength of the empire, and augment the resources of the 
king. The location of Jericho, in the tribe of Benjamin, 
but eighteen miles east north-east from Jerusalem would 
prove an indispensable fortification to guard the passes 
through which the people must journey when going to or 
from Jerusalem from the northern kingdom ; and also a 
protection when there should be a war between the king- 
doms of Judah and Israel. To rebuild this city would 
please the king. 

Ambition was another motive. The situation was 
pleasant, being on a fertile plain. It was well watered. 
High hills lay to the north and west. It was only seven 
miles west of the river Jordan. Its very name signifying, 
“place of fragrance,” intimates the desirableness' of its 
location. Before its destruction by Joshua it was called 
“the city of palm trees, in the plain of the valley of Je- 
richo.” — Deut. 34 : 3. When rebuilt it became one of the 
most important cities, being second only to Jerusalem. 


248 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


Here Elislia had his residence, whose bitter waters he 
sweetened. — 2 Kings 2 : 4, 19-22. Here was a school of 
the prophets. Herb Christ healed the blind Bartemeus. — 
Matt. 20 : 29-84. Here he received Zacchens. — Lnke 19 : 
1. The man who should succeed in founding a city here 
would by that act erect a monument which would, with 
certainty, hand down his name to the remotest time. This 
method for ambition was not uncommon. Kings found- 
ed cities, and called them after them. “ Their inward 
thought is, that their houses shall continue forever, and 
their dwelling places to all generations ; they call their 
lands after their own names.” — Ps. 49 : 11. 

A specific ambition may have moved him. For centu- 
ries, this city had been a heap of ruins, by reason of the 
reputed curse which Joshua had pronounced against the 
man who should rebuild it. Hitherto, no man had been 
found of courage sufficient to push aside the reputed 
curse, and attempt the work. Hiel felt that he could do 
it. With the haughty Pharaoh, he could say, u who is 
the Lord, that I should obey his voice He would show 
his disbelief in the threatening. He would crowd for- 
ward the rebuilding, and rear up a splendid city, and 
would thus be inscribed upon the immortal scroll of fame. 

Perhaps a more dazzling ambition stirred him. As the 
rebuilder of this city, he would secure great publicity and 
influence. He would be courted as a man of bold and 
daring enterprise, a man of eminent success, As the suc- 
cession to the throne of Israel was governed by no law of 
legitimacy, so the usurper gained the throne. His wealth 
and prominent position, his character for daring and suc- 
cess fitted him eminently for the supreme hour when, by 
a bold stroke, he too, might wield the scepter. With 
such food to feed his ambition, he was stimulated to dash 
aside the supposed dangers, and cro’fad forward his enter- 
prise. Unscrupulous men rush forward through blood 
to consummate their purpose. 


HIEL, THE BETHELITE. 


249 


Avarice was a powerful incentive. This may have been 
the incipient and principle motive. The others named, 
falling in, gave rigidity and perseverence to his purpose. 
Here opened a promising field for enterprise. The loca- 
tion was good, it promised to become a populous city. 
Under courtly favor, it was certain to become a place of 
great importance. Success would place him in the pos- 
session of an immense property — a rich reward for all the 
toil and peril he might encounter. This would secure to 
him and his family, that independent position in society 
so courted by men. 


BLINDING AND HARDENING INFLUENCE OF INFIDELITY. 

Ahab, the sixth king of Israel, came to the throne 918 
B. C., and reigned twenty-two years. He was slain in 
battle, and the dogs licked up his blood at the pool of 
Samaria.— 1 Kings, 16 : 29, and 22 : 40. It was 1451 B. C. 
that Joshua uttered the threatening. Thus, 538 years at 
least, had intervened. No fulfilment had taken place; 
for no one had ventured to rebuild. The ruins were there, 
the monument alike of the distraction and of the dread 
which controlled men during these centuries. 

We can hardly suppose that Hiel was ignorant of the 
singular and specific curse pronounced against the man 
who should rebuild Jericho. If he rejected the sacred 
books of the Hebrews, still, there were the ruins, and con- 
nected with them, the tradition of the remarkable way 
in which the city was taken, and of the curse. There was 
the fact that the fear of the curse had been operative for 
more than five centuries. Doubtless, many friends ear- 
nestly warned him of his danger of setting at naught the 
divine prediction. They understood why so desirable a 
location for a city should have remained from age to age 
unoccupied, and why the ruins continued undisturbed. 


250 


BIBLE PEIXCIPLES. 


Uncontradicted history liad transmitted the terrible ban. 
The danger involved the life of his family. That, at the 
commencement of the work, his first-born should die, and 
his youngest son should die when the gates were set up. 
All this he disbelieved, he set at naught the divine pre- 
diction, and determined to proceed. The prediction was 
not a general pointless threatening against sin, indiscrim- 
inately; but a definite threatening against a particular 
thing, and the time for its execution was the day when 
any man should commence upon the work. How blinded 
by sin. How hardened were all the nobler and more ten- 
der feelings of his heart. He might, with assumed indif- 
ference, have bared his bosom to the shaft which should 
strike him. But this curse had immediate reference to 
his children. Had the motives which fired his heart dead- 
ened or crushed out “ natural affection V 9 Paul, in his 
groupingof sins, places “ without natural affection,” very 
near the climax of iniquity. We do not thus judge Heil. 
Had this been his condition, the death of his children 
would have been no affliction. His sin was utter disbe- 
lief in the prediction. Therefore, he had no fear of the 
consequences of his conduct. He gave himself up, wdiole 
hearted, to the work of rebuilding the city. Thus far, 
he was blinded. The hardening is brought out in his 
perseverence. Whilst the curse aimed its deadly blow at 
all the family, they were not to be swept away by a sin- 
gle act of providence. Death’ s doings were to be progres- 
sive, to begin when the foundations were laid, and not to 
end until the gates were set up. This method gave point 
and emphasis to the forewarning, and afforded time for 
reflection and repentance. The debris is cleared away; 
the trenches are dug ; the massive stones are laid in their 
courses ; no interruption occurs ; but when the founda- 
tions are being leveled to their proper height, and joy 
beams in the face of Hiel, all work is suddenly arrested, 
for Abiram, his first-born, lies before him cold in death. 


HIEL, THE BETHELITE. 


251 


The appeal is now direct to parental feelings, which 
often reigns in the impetuosity of sin, when other influen- 
ces fail. Here was the beginning of the fulfillment of this 
singular prediction. Surely there is occasion to pause, 
to recognize the divine interposition, and to abandon his 
mad enterprise. But no, he has publicly committed him- 
self to this work. He had avowed his contempt for the 
threatening, he had thus defied the power of God. He 
had gone too far, his temporal interests were involved too 
deeply to abandon the enterprise. He had taken a stand 
which had concentrated upon him the gaze of many eyes. 
To give up, would expose him to the scorn and ridicule 
of all. The death of his first-born, occurring at this par- 
ticular juncture, may have been only a singular coinci- 
dence, and not a fulfillment of the threatening. It was 
only an accident, directly to be traced perhaps, to the 
imprudence of the young man, or the carelessness of the 
builders. He is blinded by his ruling passion. 

The funeral rites being over he pushes forward the 
works. For a time all goes well. Joy and gladness fills 
the heart of Hiel as he surveys the progress of his grand 
scheme. The massive foundations are laid ; the uprear- 
ing goes forward. Suddenly the voice of wailing is heard, 
the deep piercing cry is heard, another child of Heil’s is 
dead. The hand of the destroyer is upon him. Provi- 
dence speaks again. With double emphasis it speaks. 
It warns this bold and daring man to proceed no further 
in his attempt to thwart the revealed will of God. Again 
the din of labor is hushed. The slow measured tread of 
the funeral procession is heard. Another appeal is made 
to the parental heart. But in vain. For a time Hiel may 
have wavered. He may have said, what does this mean % 
Shall I abandon the work 3 To do so will not restore my 
children already dead. Thus parental pleadings are si- 
lenced. Then evil counsels and evil desires prevail. The 
command goes forth, push on the work— the city must be 


252 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


built. When a man steadfastly crowds forward in diso- 
bedience and thrusts aside the obstacles which providence 
throws in his way, he hardens his own heart, and is the 
more anxious to have his work rapidly done. 

The building went on, perhaps more rapidly than be- 
fore, and it may be with no further visits of the angel of 
death. At last it is built. The massive walls of defence 
are around it. Naught remains but the hanging of the 
strong gates. This last act is the crowning one ; the one 
to be duly noted and properly celebrated. The arrange- 
ments are all made, the processions formed ; the strains 
of thrilling, jubilant music floats wide over the plains. All 
is life and joy; pleasure is reflected from every face. 
Hiel is triumphant as the shoutings of the multitude 
break upon his ear. The city is built. Many crowd for- 
ward to congratulate him. A messenger with breathless 
haste rushes towards him, his countenance pale and fallen, 
his eye haggard, his lips quivering. Hiel trembling, 
through apprehension, cries, why this haste ? What tid- 
ings dost thou bring ? Thy son Segab, thine only child 
is dead. The iron entered the soul of the father. All the 
sweet drafts of pleasure had turned into bitterness. All 
the splendors of the day are turned into mourning. In- 
stead of the triumphal procession the mourners go about 
the streets. 

“Let any of those who renounce Christianity, write 
fairly down in a book all the absurdities that they be- 
lieve instead of it, and they will find that it requires more 
faith to reject Christianity than to embrace it.” — Lacon. 

“It requires more faith to be a consistent infidel than 
to be a Christian.” — Soame Jenyns. The nurse of in- 
fidelity is sensuality. The Bible stands in the way. Thou- 
sands before Yoltaire and Hume, and thousands since, 
have denounced and rejected the Bible, but it yet stands, 
and its influence is spreading far and wide. Kicking 
against the pricks only hurts the kicker. 


HIEL, THE BETIIELITE. 


253 


THE THEEATENINH. 

1451 years B. C. 

“And Joshua adjured 
them at that time, saying, 
cursed be the man before 
the Lord, that riseth up and 
buildeth this city, Jericho : 
he shall lay the foundations 
thereof in his first born, and 
in his youngest son set up 
the gates thereof.” — Josh. 
6: 26. 


FULFILLED. 

918 years B. C. 

“In his days did Hiel, 
the Bethelite, build Jericho; 
he laid the foundation there- 
of in Abiram, his first born, 
and set up the gates thereof 
in his youngest son, Segub, 
according to the word of the 
Lord, which he spake by 
Joshua, the son of Nun.” 
1 Kings 16 : 34. 


Thus was the city built 533 years after the threatening. 

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth : but the word 
of our God shall stand forever.” — Isa. 40 : 8 ; also, 1 Pet. 
1 : 24, 25. “ It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than 

one tittle of the law to fail.” — Luke 16 : 17. “I have 
spoken it, I will also bring it to pass : I have purposed 
it, I will also do it. “ My counsel shall stand, and I will 
do all my pleasure.” — Isa. 46 : 10, 11. 

It would seem that as one child after another was taken 
away, Hiel would be arrested, but, no, so blinding and 
hardening is disobedience and unbelief, that he stubbornly 
progresses, until when the city is built, he finds himself, 
in accordance with the prediction, solitary and childless, 
with no lineage to bear his name to the future. What 
were his reflections we have no record. Had he repented 
of his unbelief, and turned to the worship of the true 
God, this fact would doubtless have been mentioned. 
We can hardly entertain this idea. “Evil men and 
seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being 
deceived.”— 2 Tim. 3 : 13. “ Not knowing that the good- 

ness of God leadeth thee to repentance ; but after thy hard- 


254 


BIBLE PEIXCIPLES. 


ness and impenitent heart, treasnrest up unto thyself 
wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the 
righteous judgment of God.” — Rom. 2 : 4, 5. 

Though we cannot follow or know certainly the work- 
ings of his mind, we do know that he could not look or 
think upon the city without the heart-rending reflection 
that he had sacrificed his family and the precious interests 
of home to his mad ambition and infidelity. In what 
manner his children were swept away is not particularly 
stated. Whether it was by the influence of the climate, 
the action of disease, or by casualties connected with 
the building is not certain. The language of the narra- 
tive intimates the latter. The deaths are directly connec- 
ted with the laying of the foundations, and the setting up 
of the gates. Thus occurring, they would more distinct- 
ly fulfill the threatening and mark the hand of God. 

The power for evil of a wicked ruler is strongly illus- 
trated in Ahab the king of Israel. It was “in his day” 
that Hiel built Jericho. The influence of this wicked 
king emboldened Hiel to engage in his enterprize of re- 
building. In a sense the terrible results are fairly charge- 
able upon Ahab. Such was his influence upon the peo- 
ple, that spiritual religion was scoffed at and idolatry of 
the basest and most demoralizing character spread over 
his kingdom. The inevitable result was the prevalence 
of violence and murders. All this came from the evil ex- 
ample of one man holding a commanding station. “ Evil 
communications corrupt good manners.” — 1 Cor. 15 : 33. 
They fall in with the depraved affections of men and 
rapidly spread and grow strong. In no one thing does 
history repeat itself more than in the influence of wicked 
rulers. If the rulers of a land are men of corrupt princi- 
ples and vicious habits, they inevitably gather around 
them men of similar principles and habits. The sources 
of power are corrupted and the powers of government are 
used, not for the noble purpose for which they were or- 


HIEL, THE BETHELITE. 


255 


dained of God, but to subserve selfish ends. Thus the 
fountain being poisoned — the poison spreads and destroys 
the vitality of virtuous principles. Subordinate stations 
are filled with the unprincipled tools of power. Thus the 
demoralizing influences spread until the iniquities of the 
people reproves them, and call forth the desolating judg- 
ments of heaven. In the midst of this apostacy, under 
Ahab, God visited the land with drought and consequent 
famine for the space of three years and six months. The 
people were not forced into idolatry and its debasing de- 
moralizations, they were voluntary, they chose it, they 
were pleased with it, they thus gratified their depraved 
affections. Thus they were parties in the evil, and were 
justly partakers of the sufferings. In lands where the 
representative principle is incorporated in the govern- 
ment, the people, so far as that principle prevails, are pro- 
portionally responsible for what the rulers do. Unless, 
in a lawful manner, they protest against the evil courses, 
and strive to correct them they become parties and must 
be involved in the troubles. 

Hiel stands out the admonitary monument of the de- 
structive power of unsanctified ambition. His ambition 
was unconquerable, though the angel of death fought 
against him, and threw across his path the mangled bod- 
ies of his children. When worldly, selfish ambition takes 
full possession of a man, it becomes the ruling passion, 
and controls with giant force. It dashes aside remon- 
strances of conscience. It breaks through all restraints. 
It blinds the man to his immortal interests. It hardens 
his heart and takes away all fear. It annihilates patriot- 
ism, in personal selfishness, and crowds him on reckless 
of consequences. This is true in every department where 
ambition is supreme. It will subordinate to its service 
whatever can be made available. It may rule the student 
as really as the politician ; the merchant as truly as the 
warrior. In all classes, and in all ages, wherever and 


256 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


upon whomsoever it fastens, it so magnifies the object de- 
sired, that all other interests are neglected, except so far 
as they can be made auxiliary, and especially are the 
eternal interests of the soul thrust aside. 44 Godliness, 
with contentment, is great gain.” — 1 Tim. 6:6. “ God- 

liness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the 
life that now is, and of that which is to come.” — 1 Tim. 
4:8. “We brought nothing into this world, and it 
is certain we can carry nothing out. Having food and 
raiment, let us be therewith content ; but they that will 
be rich, fall into temptation and a snare, and into many 
foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruc- 
tion and perdition.” — 1 Tim. 6 : 6-9. 

Hiel opposed the revealed will of God, and found that 
was his folly. The sepulchres of his children were the 
abiding monuments of his folly. Every time he walked 
around the city, he saw at what a fearful expense he had, 
by his disobedience and unbelief, resisted the revealed 
will of God. 44 God is wise in heart, and mighty in 
strength ; who hath hardened himself against him and 
prospered ?” — Job 9:4. In this world there is often the 
4 4 prosperity of the wicked. ” “ Their eyes stand out with 

fatness, they have more than heart could wish ; they are 
corrupt, and speak wickedly — they speak loftily. They 
say, how doth God know ? and is there knowledge in the 
most high % Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper 
in the world, they increase in riches.” — Ps. 73 : 7-. This, 
for a time, staggered and grieved the Psalmist. 4 4 Until 
I went into the sanctuary of God, then understood I their 
end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places ; thou 
casteth them down into destruction. How are they 
brought into desolation, as in a moment ! They ar$ ut- 
terly consumed with terrors.” — Ps. 73 : 17-19. 

The revelation of God’ s will is completed. What he 
requires of every man may be certainly known. He has 
placed man under a law 44 holy, just and good;” a law 


HIEL, THE BETHELITE. 


257 


right in all that it commands and forbids : just, equitable 
in all its requirements and benevolent in all its precepts, 
as it guards and protects all that is valuable, all that pro- 
motes the happiness of intelligent accountable beings, 
and forbids all that interferes with that happiness. Its 
benevolence is manifested supremely in this that it en- 
courages virtue and denounces sin by the strongest pos- 
sible motives which God could conceive of, viz., eternal 
life and happiness for obedience, and eternal damnation 
for disobedience. To set at naught this law and follow 
out our own desires, and thus to set up our will against 
the will of God, is supreme folly to say nothing of its sin- 
fulness. “ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wis- 
dom.” — Ps. Ill : 10. “The fool hath said in his heart, 
there is no God.” — Ps. 14 : 1. Every word of God is 
sure. His promises never fail. His threatenings, though 
long delayed that the wicked may repent, are certain to 
be accomplished. “The word of the Lord endureth for- 
ever.” — 1 Peter 1:25. “Verily I say unto you, till 
heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no 
wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled.” — Matt. 5 : 18. 

The only refuge from the condemnation and penalty of 
sin is by faith in Jesus the Christ, the atoning Saviour. 
In the Jewish worship there were many foretellings of an 
atoning Saviour. The Saviour stood out in most of the 
sacrifices, whose shed blood was typical of his coming. 
He was especially prominent on the day of atonement, 
when the blood was sprinkled before the mercy-seat. 
“And this shall bean everlasting statute unto you, to 
make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their 
sins once a year.” — Levit. 16 : 34. Had Heil abandoned 
his idolatry and infidelity and returned to the spiritual 
worship of his fathers, he, by repentance and faith in the 
sacrifice as the type of the Redeemer, might have pardon 
and salvation. W e have no evidence that he did this, or 
that in any way he repented of his wickedness. 


258 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


No longer are the revelations of God’s will confined to 
the Jews. No longer is the way of salvation shadowed 
forth by the sacrifice of bulls and goats, or bleeding Iambs. 
Christ, the lamb of God, has come and died. “God so 
loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that 
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have 
everlasting life. ’ ’ — J ohn 3 : 1 6. “He that believeth on the 
Son hath everlasting life ; and he that believeth not the 
Son shall not see life ; but the wrath of God abideth on 
him.” — John 3 : 35. “Neither is there salvation in any 
other : for there is none other name under heaven given 
among men, whereby we must be saved.” — -Acts 4 : 12. 
Thus life and death is set before us. Choose ye this day 
whom ye will serve. The decision is with the man who 
hears the terms of life and of death. “Wherefore the 
rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and 
election sure, for if ye do these things, ye shall never 
fall.” — 2 Peter 1 : 10. 



AHAB AND JEZEBEL. 
Retribution Certain. 




p. 259 


AHAB AND JEZEBEL.. 


RETRIBUTION CERTAIN. 


Ahab, tlie son of Omri, was tlie sixth king of Israel. 
He came to the throne in the year before Christ, 918. 
“He reigned over Israel in Samaria twenty and two 
years. He did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that 
were before him.” “ He did sell himself to work wicked- 
ness in the sight of the Lord.” This is not a flattering 
introduction of this scion of royalty. He was not a man 
of bold and commanding genius, but rather of a weak 
and temporizing temperament. In tracing the causes 
which led him to his eminence in wickedness, the inspired 
writer gives great prominence to the agency and influence 
of his wife. “And it came to pass, as if it had been a 
light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the 
son of Nebat, that he took to his wife Jezebel, the daugh- 
ter of Ethbaal, king of the Zidonians, and went and served 
Baal, and worshiped him.” This Jezebel was an ambi- 
tious and passionate idolatress ; a woman of great energy 
and decision, and of prompt and ready talent. She soon 
acquired a controling influence over her husband, and 
through him carried out her plans. She soon established 
the idolatry of her own country in Samaria. She exter- 
minated the worship of God, and persecuted unto death 
his servants. She maintained, at her own expense, four 
hundred of the priests of Astarte. Of Ahab it is written, 
that “he reared an altar for Baal, in the house of Baal, 


AIIAB AND JEZEBEL. 


261 


which he had built in Samaria. And Ahab did more to 
provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger, than all the 
kings of Israel that were before him.” Such is the influ- 
ence which a strong-minded, wicked woman soon obtains 
over a weak-minded husband. The Phoenician idolatry 
was of the most debasing character. Under courtly in- 
fluence and sanctions it became so popular, that all ves- 
tiges of the worship of Jehovah were driven from the 
land. For “ Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord.” 


THE FAMINE AND PRAYER TEST. 

Whilst few prophets were sent to the kingdom of Judah, 
which remained faithful to the worship as prescribed in 
the temple at Jerusalem, many are sent to the revolted 
tribes with messages from the Lord. At this time, when 
Ahab was in the full career of his wickedness, the Lord 
raised up a prophet suited to these rough times. He sent 
Elijah to Ahab, to tell him of the judgment with which he 
would visit the land. “As the Lord God of Israel liveth, 
before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these 
years but according to my word.” This drought came. 
“Elijah prayed earnestly that it might not rain; and it 
rained not on the earth by the space of three years and 
six months.” — Jas. 5 : 17. This visitation was sent in 
mercy as well as in judgment, that by it the hand and 
power of God might be seen, and the people turned from 
their idolatry and their debasing sins. The famine be- 
came more and more intense as the years rolled on. 6 ‘ The 
word of the Lord came unto Elijah in the third year, say- 
ing, go, show thyself unto Ahab, and I will send rain upon 
the ea?th.” “And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Eli- 
jah, that Ahab said unto him, art thou he that troubleth 
Israel ?” He knew that it was in answer to the prayer of 
Elijah that the rain was withheld. He saw only the in- 


202 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES^ 


strument, and was blind to the real cause of this famine. 
Elijah soon enlightened him. 4 4 1 have not troubled Israel ; 
but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken 
the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed 
Baalim. ’ ’ He now proposes a trial of the respective power 
of Baal, and of the Lord to procure the needed rain. 4 4 Send 
and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel, and the 
prophets of Baal, four hundred and fifty, and the prophets 
of the groves, four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.” 
The proposition was accepted. The people and the pro- 
phets gathered at Mount Carmel. Elijah said to the peo- 
ple, 4 4 how long halt ye between two opinions? If the 
Lord be God, follow him : but if Baal, then follow him. 
I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord ; but Baal’ s 
prophets are four hundred and fifty men. ’ ’ Two bullocks 
are brought forward. Baal’s prophets are directed to 
make their choice, and 4 4 to cut it in pieces, lay it on 
wood, and put no fire under : and I will dress the other 
bullock and lay it on wood, and put no fire under. And 
call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the 
name of the Lord, and the god that answereth by fire, 
let him be God. And all the people answered and said, 
it is well spoken.” This is a fair test. The prophets of 
Baal, having arranged the sacrifice, 44 called on the name 
of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O, Baal, 
hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered.” 
Frantic with rage at their disappointment, 44 they leaped 
upon the altar.” At noon, Elijah, cool and courageous, 
44 mocked them, and said, cry aloud; for he is a god; 
either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is on a jour- 
ney, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.” 
By this irony he declared how limited were the powers of 
the god they worshiped. He could not be omnipresent 
and omniscient. Goaded by this irony, 4 4 they cried aloud, 
and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lan- 
cets, till the blood gushed out upon them.” This mad 


AHAB ATTD JEZEBEL. 


263 


cruelty they practiced ‘ ‘ until the time of the offering of the 
evening sacrifice, but there was neither voice, nor any to 
answer, nor any that regarded.” Grievous was their dis- 
appointment when their failure was so marked. Still 
they did not despair. The trial on the other bullock 
remained. If this also failed, then Baal was as good as 
the Lord. Intense interest now centered around Elijah. 
Everything depended upon what he should do. After so 
signal a failure of the many, would he alone hope to 
bring fire from heaven 1 It should never be forgotten that 
one holy man, with God, makes a majority. Outwardly 
he was alone. But he was not alone, for God was with 
him. 

That there might be no possible ground for suspicion 
of trick or fraud in concealed fire, Elijah commanded, as 
a precaution, which he did not require of the prophets 
of Baal, “fill four barrels with water, and pour it upon 
the burnt sacrifice and the wood.” He commanded the 
men to do it a second and a third time, until the water 
saturated the wood, and “ ran about the altar, and filled 
the trench also with water.” Having settled these pre- 
liminaries, he made his short, comprehensive and direct 
prayer. “Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, 
let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and 
that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these 
things au thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this 
people may know that thou art the Lord God, and that 
thou hast turned their heart back again.” Immediately 
“the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacri- 
fice, and the wood and the stones, and the dust, and licked 
up the water that was in the trench.” This was rapid 
and complete success. “When all the people saw it, 
they fell on their faces, and they said, the Lord he is God ; 
the Lord, he is God. ” Two things follow this unmistaka- 
ble demonstration on the part of God, and the spontane- 
ous acquiescence of the people. The prophets of Baal, 


264 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


being not only corrupt them selves, but corrupters of 
others, are commanded to be slain. Elijah said, take the 
prophets of Baal ; let not one of them escape— and they 
took them.” And Elijah, as the executioner of the divine 
sentence, “brought them down to the brook Kishon, and 
slew them there.” The other sequence was tfye abun- 
dance of rain. “Elijah said unto Ahab,” who had been 
a witness of the prayer test, “get thee up, eat and drink, 
for there is a sound of abundance of rain.” At first there 
“ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand.” 
Then “the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and 
there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to 
Jezreel.” “And the hand of the Lord was with Elijah, 
and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the en- 
trance of Jezreel,” a prominent city in the tribe of Issa* 
chai, where Ahab had an ivory house. — 1 King, 32 : 39. 


jezebel’s wrath. 

What impression these manifestations of the divine 
power, made upon the mind of Ahab, we do not certainly 
know. They doubtless, alarmed his fears, especially 
when he contemplated the verdict of the people, and the 
death of the prophets of Baal. His immediate conduct 
would imply that he was led seriously to reflect upon his 
situation. “And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had 
done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with 
the sword.” We may well suppose that he narrated to 
her all these facts, to change her mind and lead her to 
abandon her idolatry, and become a worshiper of the 
Lord. But he little understood the stuff she was made 
of. She was a woman of blood guiltiness, having the 
spirit of intense revenge. 4 ‘ Then J ezebel sent a messenger 
unto Elijah, saying, so let the gods do to me, and more 
also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by 


AHAB AND JEZEBEL. 


265 


to-morrow, about this time.” Elijah, so bold when he 
confronted the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, 
now quails before a woman, and flees for his life. He 
knew the impetuosity and terribleness of her wrath. 

“A tiger’s heart, wrapped in a woman’s hide.” 

He knew her bK>od-thirstiness, and how many unscrupu- 
lous hands were ready to do her bidding. 


WAE WITH SYRIA. 

Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, gathered his forces and 
besieged Samaria. He sent insulting messages to Ahab, 
claiming that all the gold and silver, and all the choice 
things were his. To this Ahab submissively replied, 
“my lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, 
and all that I have.” Ben-hadad sent other messengers 
with more humiliating demands. Ahab now takes coun- 
sel of the elders of the people, who unanimously “said 
unto him, hearken not unto him, nor consent.” When 
Ahab refused those demands, Ben-hadad, proud of his 
military strength, said, “the gods do so unto me, and 
more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for hand- 
fuls for all the people that follow me.” He threatened 
the utter destruction of the city. The reply of Ahab had 
in it a wisdom and a courage which belonged not to him. 
The elders of the people put courage into him. “He 
answered and said, tell him, let not him that girdeth on 
his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.” W ait 
until the battle is fought before you boast of your deeds. 
“When Ben-hadad heard this message “he gave the 
orders for immediate action. “Set yourselves in ar- 
ray, and they set themselves in array against the city,” 
When the armies had folded themselves around the city, 
closing up all the avenues for supplies of food the pros- 


268 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


pect was most cheerless. There was certain suffering, 
if not ultimate defeat. At this juncture a prophet came 
unto Ahab with words of cheer. “Thus saith the Lord, 
hast thou seen all this great multitude ? behold, I will de- 
liver it into thine hand this day, and thou shalt know 
that I am the Lord.” The plans are all arranged. A de- 
tachment of “the young men of the princes of the prov- 
inces went out” of the gates. “ And they slew everyone 
his man, and the Syrians fled and Israel pursued them.” 
“And slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.” How 
came this that so small a company, seven thousand men, 
put to flight this vast army of the Syrians ? The hand 
of the Lord was the efficient cause. Still he uses second 
causes. It is written, “ Ben-hadad was drinking himself 
drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, and the thirty 
and two kings that helped him.” The onset of the seven 
thousand sober and determined men was sudden and un- 
expected. The leaders of the Syrian armies were drunk, 
and incapable of intelligent command. The soldiers, 
without leaders, knew not what to do. Their comrades 
were falling around, a fear-panic seized them. They fled, 
each man seeking safety for himself. “There is no re- 
straint to the Lord, to save by many or by few.” — 1 Sam. 
14 : 6 . 

That Ahab might not be too elated by this wonderful 
success the prophet came unto him and said, “go, 
strengthen thyself, and mark, see what thou doest ; for 
at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up 
against thee.” These visits of the prophets of the Lord 
to Ahab and these remarkable foretellings and interpo- 
sitions, were designed to draw him away from idolatry. 
Had he been freed from the persistent evil influences of 
his queen, he might have turned to the Lord. When it 
is written, “there was none like unto Ahab, which did 
sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord,” 
it is significantly added, “Whom Jezebel his wife stirred 


AHAB and jezebel. 


267 


up.” The margin reads “ incited.” “ Did sell himself,” 
carries the idea that he was in the market, and that, for 
a price, he was ready for any proposed wickedness. He 
was thoroughly bad and joined to such an inciting wife, 
it is no wonder that he “ did evil in the sight of the Lord 
above all that were before him.” Guilty as Jezebel may 
have been for her evil influence, the sin of Ahab is not 
lessened. 

True to the prediction, at the return of the year, the 
king of Syria came up to Aphek, with strong forces and 
abler captains, 4 4 to fight against Israel. For they said, 
the gods of Israel 4 4 are the gods of the hills, therefore, 
they were stronger than we.” 44 The children of Israel 
pitched before them like two little flocks of kids ; but the 
Syrians filled the country.” Again 44 there came a man 
of God, and spake unto the king of Israel. Thus saith 
the Lord, because the Syrians have said, the Lord is God 
of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore, 
I will deliver all this great multitude into thy hand, and 
ye shall know that I am the Lord.” On the seventh day, 
these armies joined battle, when the Syrians were totally 
routed, with a great slaughter. Ben-hadad submitted 
himself to Ahab. How patient and long suffering was 
the Lord with Ahab, how often did he send messengers 
to him, and do wonderfully for him that he might know 
the Lord, and turn from his wickedness. 


THE VINEYAKD. 

The next transaction, in which these wicked persons 
are engaged, develops a plan for perjury and murder al- 
most unparalleled. It was conceived and executed by the 
unscrupulous queen, who was the greater criminal. It 
was approved, and the result accepted by the pliant king, 
which made him a guilty partner. This foul act filled 


268 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


up tlie measure of their iniquity, exhausted the divine 
forbearance, and precipitated their ruin ; not sudden and 
immediate, but certain and determined. 

The narrative tells us that a certain man named Naboth, 
a citizen of Jezreel, “ had a vineyard hard by the palace 
of Ahab. ’ ’ The king desired to possess it. So “ he spake 
unto Naboth, saying, give me thy vineyard, that I may 
have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my 
house, and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than 
it, or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth 
of it in money.” This, on the face, is a very fair and 
reasonable proposition. If there were no legal difficulties 
in the way, and the terms were agreeable, Naboth might 
accept the proposition. The power to accept, necessarily 
carried with it the power to decline. As the right to the 
property vested in him, which the king recognized, he 
alone, could accept or decline the terms. He promptly 
declined, and frankly stated his reason. “ The Lord for- 
bid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers 
unto thee.” “ Ahab came unto his house heavy and dis- 
pleased, and laid him down upon his bed, and turned 
away his face and would eat no bread.” What small 
things worry the mind of such men, who should be ab- 
sorbed in the greater interests of the kingdom. Here was 
a plain citizen putting his will against the will of his 
king, and the king had no legal way to obtain the vine- 
yard. Why should Naboth refuse so fair a sale of 
his land ? Was it not wicked stubbornness which blind- 
ed him to his own interest in refusing a better vineyard ? 
No, it was not stubbornness ; it was honesty and pious 
obedience. For the law, under which the land had been 
apportioned, prohibited the alienation of any portion of 
the inheritance. So careful were the provisions of this 
law, that when, through the necessity of poverty, any 
portion was sold, it must return to the original family at 
the year of Jubilee. To pass the vineyard to Ahab, the 


AIIAB AND JEZEBEL. 


269 


king, would be to alienate it, and thus change the inheri- 
tance of his fathers, and defraud his heirs of their rights. 
Naboth was the only proper judge concerning his prop- 
erty. There was no law in Israel which allowed a private 
citizen to be disturbed in his property, to gratify the 
wishes of his sovereign. 

When Jezebel perceived the condition of the king, she 
“said unto him, why is thy spirit so sad, that thou eat- 
eth no bread ?” When he told her of the refusal of Na- 
both, her proud and vengeful spirit uttered words of rash 
counsel. 4 4 Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel ? 
Arise and eat bread, and let thy heart be merry : I will 
give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” Force 
must bring to pass what milder measures could not 
accomplish. 44 1 will give thee the vineyard of Na- 
both.” Immediately she matured the plan. 44 She wrote 
letters in Ahab’s name, and sealed them with his seal.” 
Then she sent to the elders and nobles, dwelling in the 
city where Naboth resided. Her plan was, under the 
charge of treason, to destroy Naboth and thus, in keep- 
ing within the letter of the law, the vineyard would be 
forfeited to the crown. Her directions were explicit. 
44 Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth on high among the peo- 
ple : and set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear 
witness against him, saying, thou didst blaspheme God 
and the king. And then carry him out and stone him, 
that he may die.” She knew enough of the law of Moses 
to accomplish her plan. 44 At the mouth of the two wit- 
nesses, shall he that is worthy of death, be put to death.” 
— Deut. 17 : 6. Thus under the guise of religion and loy- 
alty, and under the forms of law, by false testimony, this 
wicked woman planned to take the life of an innocent 
man. There are always found wretches sufficiently de- 
based and unscrupulous to do the bloody work of wicked 
rulers. There is never wanting a Jeffrays to do the bid- 
ding of a James. 


270 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


The men to whom she wrote carried out perfectly her 
commands, and became willing partners in this murder. 
“They sent word to Jezebel, Naboth is dead.” Upon 
this intelligence she “said to Aliab, arise, take possession 
of the vineyard of Naboth, for Naboth is not alive, but 
dead.” “ Ahab arose up to go down to the vineyard of 
Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.” From 
this transaction it would appear that the estates of per- 
sons convicted of treasonable acts against the state were 
forfeited to the crown. As the inalienable tenure of 
landed property among the Jews rendered it difficult for 
the king to acquire, by purchase, extensive domains, the 
the temptation would be great to charge persons with 
treason, and thus obtain their lands. 


THE KIND OF DEATH. 

Pleasures bought by iniquity are often suddenly dash- 
ed by the bitterest disappointments. It was so with Ahab. 
Just when exulting in the possession of this coveted vine- 
yard he is met by an unexpected visitor. That messenger 
bears with him a fearfully dreadful message. 4 4 The word 
of the Lord came to Elijah. Arise, go down to meet 
Ahab, — behold he is in the vineyard of Naboth. And 
thou shalt speak unto him, saying, thus saith the Lord, 
hast thou killed, and also taken possession? In the 
place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs 
lick thy blood, even thine.” Conscience smitten, and in 
terror, Ahab exclaimed, 44 Hast thou found me, O mine 
enemy?” Yes, answered the prophet, 44 1 have found 
thee : because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the 
sight of the Lord.” How suddenly was the bitterness of 
gaul poured into his cup of pleasure. How unexpectedly 
this death-sentence utters its terrific knell. This is not all, 
thou wicked man. 4 4 1 will bring evil upon thee, and will 


AIIAB AND JEZEBEL. 


271 


take away thy posterity, — and will make thine honse like 
the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the 
house of Baasha, the son of Abijah, for the provocation 
wherewith thou hast provoked me to anger, and made 
Israel to sin.” “Him that dieth of Ahab in the city the 
dogs shall eat, and him that dieth in the field shall the 
fowls of the air eat.” This was fearful. This is not all. 
The partner, and the stirrer up of thy iniquity, shall also 
come to a terrible end. “And of Jezebel also spake the 
Lord, the dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.” 
Retribution, stern and terrible. Retribution, fearful and 
certain. It is personal and specific. It is to be visited 
upon Ahab, and upon Jezebel. Ahab knew the messen- 
ger. He knew that the message was from Grod, and that 
it would not fail. 

Ahab was crushed with fear, and under the influence 
of fear, not of hatred of his sins, showed some signs of 
reformation. “He rent his clothes, and put sackcloth 
upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went 
softly.” Seeing this, the Lord said to Elijah, “ seest thou 
how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he 
humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil, the 
cutting off of his posterity,” in his days; but in his son’s 
days will I bring the evil upon his house.” 

We have no record of how Jezebel felt and acted when 
she was told of these terrible predictions. As she believed 
not on the Lord, but was wedded to idols, it is probable 
she laughed at it, and scornfully derided Ahab for his 
timid, unmanly conduct. 


TIIE BEGINNING OF THE END. 

For a season, this forewarning of his death did disturb 
the peace of Ahab, and caused him anxious trouble. This 
lasted only so long as fear held its dominion. But fear 


272 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


is not a reliable principle to secure permanent reforma- 
tion. Its strongest influence is its first impression on the 
mind. It becomes weaker as time moves on and other 
agencies re-assert their power, until it has no further con- 
trol. As no speedy executioner appeared, and as no time 
had been set, his fear abated. The cares of empire occu- 
pied his thoughts, and the excitements of pleasurable sin 
absorbed his attention. As three years had now passed, 
Ahab may have forgotten the dreadful sentence ; or, like 
the wicked in general, may have imagined that God had 
forgotten his word. ‘ 4 He hath said in his heart God hath 
forgotten : he hideth his face ; he will never see it.” — Ps. 
10: 11. “They slay the widow and the stranger, and 
murder the fatherless, yet they say, the Lord shall not 
see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.” — Ps. 94 : 6, 
7. Deceitfulness of sin. Though tlie wicked deceive 
themselves by misinterpreting the long-suffering patience 
of God, the word of the Lord is sure. Its fulfillment is 
certain. The manner is often in a way the least suspected 
and unlooked for. In the present case it was secured by 
a series of most remarkable events. Each one was a neces- 
sary link in the chain of retributive providence. 


THE ALLIANCE. 

When three years had passed without war between 
Syria and Israel, Ahab meditated the re-taking of Hamotli- 
Gilead of the tribe of Gad, then in the possession of Syria. 
This place was greatly coveted. To render himself strong, 
Ahab entered into a friendly alliance with Jehoshaphat, 
the king of Judah. There had been great enmity between 
the ten revolting tribes, which constituted the northern 
kingdom, called Israel, and the two steadfast tribes, which 
constituted the southern kingdom, called Judah. The 
northern kingdom had apostatised to the basest forms of 


AHAB AND JEZEBEL. 


273 


idolatry. The religions element gave intensity to the 
enmity which grew out of the separation of the tribes and 
the land into two kingdoms. Now the most wicked of 
the kings of Israel proposes to J ekoshaphat, one of the 
most pious of the kings of Judah, a friendly and cooper- 
ative alliance. This alliance was not sought because Ahab 
had become less an idolator, or because Jehoshaphat had 
become less firmly a worshiper of God. The motive of 
Ahab was purely political, to strengthen himself with 
military forces in his contemplated war with Syria. Je- 
hoshaphat also may have thought it desirable, in order 
to secure permanent peace between these hitherto con- 
tending kingdoms. With such intentions the king of 
Judah was not to be blamed for making an alliance with 
the king of Israel. By promoting friendly relations, it 
would promote the peace and prosperity of both king- 
doms. The extent, the ultimate reaches and complications 
of this alliance were separate matters, and to be deter- 
mined upon as they came to the front. The proposition of 
Ahab to Jehoshaphat is prompt and explicit. “Wilt 
thou go with me to battle to Ramoth- Gilead f ’ The re- 
ply of Jehoshaphat was prompt and generous. “Iam 
as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy 
horses.” He expressed his willingness to make common 
cause with Ahab to the full extent of his military forces. 


THE INQUIRY. 

The king of Judah was a serious-minded, religious man. 
He did not confine his religion to the public services in 
the temple at the stated times. He carried his religion 
into daily life and sought in it to carry out the divine 
will, so far as made known to him. He could not engage 
in so important a work as war until he knew what was 
^|the divine will. Therefore he said “unto the king of 


274 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Israel, inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to- 
day. ’’ This was a proper step for the king of Judah to 
take. It stands upon the sacred page as a good example 
for all rulers. There would be fewer wars, if rulers were 
men of prayer, and more anxious to know and do the will 
of God than to indulge the spirit of revenge, or the mad 
schemes of ambition or enlargement of territory. 

Ahab, in order to meet this reasonable and proper re- 
quest, immediately “ gathered the prophets together, 
about four hundred men, and said unto them, shall I go 
against Ramoth- Gilead to battle, or shall I forbear?” 
“For by wise counsel thou shalt make war ; and in the 
multitude of counsellors there is safety.” — Prov. 24 : 6. 
This depends upon the character of the counsellors. If 
they are wise, disinterested, and anxious, mainly to 
know the whole case, and competent to forecast the prob- 
able consequences, then there is safety. But if they are 
prejudiced, wedded to the will of their sovereign, and 
mainly desirous to fall in with his desires, then there is 
no safety, but rather the reverse in their numbers. Know- 
ing what was the determination of Ahab, and that he had 
summoned them only to allay the temerity of Jeliosha- 
phat, “ they said, go up, for the Lord shall deliver it in- 
to the hands of the king.” 

Jehoshaphat was not satisfied. The response of four 
hundred prophets of Baal, did not convey to him an ex- 
pression of the divine will. As idolators, and prophets 
of the idol, they were at enmity with God, — not recog- 
nizing him, they could not know his will. The king of 
Judah believed in God, and looked to his prophets for 
guidance. “And Jehoshaphat said, is there not here a 
prophet of the Lord besides, that we might inquire of 
him?” Ahab, not willing at this critical juncture to dis- 
please the king of Judah, and lose the forces he would 
bring, admits that “there is yet one man, Micaiah the 
son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the Lord.” 


AHAB AND JEZEBEL. 


275 


Fearing, perhaps, the influence of this prophet of the 
Lord, Ahab sought to prejudice the mind of Jehoshaphat 
against him saying, “but I hate him; for he doth not 
prophecy good concerning me, but evil.” Wicked men 
cannot endure those who, either by example or word of 
mouth, reprove them. Ahab doubtless spoke out the 
honest sentiment of his heart when he said “ I hate him.” 
To this abrupt and uncalled for declaration Jehoshaphat 
mildly, and very politely — that he might not, in the 
slightest degree, wound the excited feelings of Ahab — 
replied, “ Let not the king say so.” “ The king of Israel 
called an officer, and said, hasten hither Micaiah the son 
of Imlah.” 

The two kings, arrayed in their robes, sat upon their 
thrones. Again, all the prophets of Baal prophecied be- 
fore them. As the true prophets often used emblems to 
illustrate and more vividly to impress their message, so, 
on this occasion, Zedekiah, the chief of the prophets of 
Baal, “made him horns of iron ; and said, thus saith the 
Lord, with these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou 
have consumed them.” All the four hundred prophets 
joined in chorus, saying, “go up to Ramoth-Gilead, and 
prosper; for the Lord shall deliver it into the king’s 
hand.” They speak confidently. They knew that Ahab 
had, with a comparatively small army, twice routed the 
Syrians. They knew that by his alliance with the king 
of Judah, his power of arms would be greatly increased. 
With these evidences from the past, and the strength of 
the present army, they reasoned that the success of the 
campaign was certain. Therefore, they cried, “ go up to 
Ramoth-Gilead and prosper.” They understood not, as 
they might have understood, from the previous defeats 
of the Syrians, “that the race is not to the swift ; nor the 
battle to the strong.”— Ecc. 9 : 11 ; “but the whole dispo- 
sing thereof is with the Lord.” — Prov. 16 : 33. 


276 


BIBLE PEINCIPLES. 


THE LONE PEOPHET. 

Whilst on the way, the messenger, knowing the cruelty 
of Ahab, and the unscrupulousness of J ezebel, and with 
kind intention, advised Micaiah to fall in with the advice 
already given by the prophets of Baal, “ let thy word, I 
pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak 
that which is good.” The reply of Micaiah is prompt 
and noble, “as the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith nnto 
me, that will I speak.” When brought into the presence 
of the kings, and the four hundred prophets of Baal, 
Ahab said unto him, “Micaiah, shall we go against Ra- 
moth- Gilead to battle, or shall we forbear ?” The ready 
reply was, “go, and prosper ; for the Lord shall deliver 
it into the hand of the king.” This was the exact advice 
of the false prophets. What did it mean ? Was this a 
confirmatory word from the Lord % There was something 
in the manner of the utterance, in the tones of the voice, 
and the expressions of the countenance, that impressed 
Ahab that Micaiah spake only in irony. He “ said to him 
how many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me 
nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord.” 
How often are the wicked alarmed, when the righteous 
bid them prosper in their chosen way. 

Micaiah had a message— a message of fearful import— to 
deliver. Though he knew the fierce temper of Ahab, and 
the perils which threatened, he wavered not. Though 
alone, with no one to sympathize with him save Jehosha- 
phat, and he perhaps feebly and doubtingly, still firmly 
he spake: “I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as 
sheep that have not a shepherd : and the Lord said, these 
have no master: let them return every man to his house 
in peace.” There was no mistaking this utterance. It 
clearly foretold the utter defeat of the expedition— the 
death of Ahab, the routing of his army, and the breaking 


AHAB AND JEZEBEL. 


277 


up of the war.” Ahab was greatly disquieted with this 
message. To break its force upon the mind of Jehosha- 
phat, he said to him, “did I not tell thee that he would 
prophecy no good concerning me, but evil ?” He saw and 
felt the point of the words of Micaiah. He perceived that 
they predicted his death. He recalled the words of Elijah. 
“ In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall 
dogs lick thy blood, even thine.” How can this come 
when Ramoth-Gilead is far distant from Jezreel? How 
does Micaiah know what shall be ? He is my enemy, he 
means to dishearten the king of Judah, and turn him 
away from aiding me. It is all a concerted plan. The 
four hundred prophets are more likely to be right than 
this one man, who is my enemy. “I hate him.” 


SCENE IN THE INVISIBLE WOELD. 

Micaiah now proceeds to justify his prediction, and 
to expose the falsehood of the prophets of Baal, by reveal- 
ing a scene which had transpired in the invisible world. 
‘ ‘ Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord : I saw the Lord 
sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing 
by him on his right hand, and on his left. And the Lord 
said, who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go and fall 
at Ramoth-Gilead? And one said on this manner, and 
another said on that manner. And there came forth a 
spirit and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade 
him. And the Lord said unto him, wherewith ? And he 
said I will go forth and I will be a lying spirit in the 
mouth of all his prophets. And he said, thou shalt per- 
suade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now 
therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the 
mouth of all these, thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken 
evil concerning thee.” — 1 Kings 22 : 19-23. There was 
no permission to force Ahab. But treating him as a free 


278 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


agent, the permission was granted, to place motives before 
him under which he would act, having the power to re- 
sist as well as to welcome the motive. The revealing to 
Ahab the fact that a lying spirit was in all his prophets, 
was the strongest motive why he should reject their coun- 
sel. He has the truth placed before him. He is fore- 
warned if he follows their advice that evil will befall him. 
“ A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: 
but the simple pass on, and are punished.” — Prov. 22 : 3. 
A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil ; but the fool 
rageth, and is confident.” — Prov. 14 : 16. 


THE EFFECT. 

They all treated this revelation with contempt. Thus 
blinding and hardening is sin. Thus evil men wax worse 
and worse, until they fill up the measure of their iniquity, 
and fit themselves for destruction. Zedekiah, the chief 
of the prophets, first acted. To manifest his enmity and 
contempt “ he went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, 
and said, which way went the spirit of the Lord from me 
to speak unto thee?” As this assault was personal, so 
Micaiah replied by uttering a personal prediction con- 
cerning him. “Thou shalt see in that day, when thou 
shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.” Ahab 
could no longer repress his hot wrath. He commanded, 
“put this fellow in prison, and feed him with the bread 
of affliction, and with water of affliction, until I come in 
peace.” Still confident of success, though warned of 
ruin. Calm, and with an eye steadfastly fixed upon the 
king of Israel, Micaiah replied, “If thou return at all in 
peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me.” Then turning 
to the people, he called them to witness, “hearken, O 
people, every one of you,” thus appealing to the result, 
to prove the truth of his prediction. 


AHAB AND JEZEBEL. 


279 


It would seem that Jehoshaphat, a God-fearing man, 
after these words of the Lord’s prophet, would have 
drawn back and refused to go with Ahab. But he had 
committed himself when he said, “ I am as thou art, my 
people as thy people, my horses as thy horses,” and the 
pride of consistency, and the honor of his pledged word, 
made him bold. Ahab, the most interested party, was 
determined to go. Why should he refuse to join him. 
Micaiah had not forbidden him. To refuse, at this junc- 
ture, while Ahab was so excited, would certainly make 
him his enemy. Instead of marching to Ramoth- Gilead, 
he might, in his wrath, turn his army southward, and 
thus plunge the kingdom of Judah into a desolating war. 
“ The wrath of a king is as messengers of death.” — Prov. 
16 : 14. “ A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty ; but a 

fool’s wrath is heavier than them both.” — Prov. 27: 3. 
“So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat, the king of Ju- 
dah, went up to Ramoth-Gilead.” 


THE BATTLE. 

Ahab was not without apprehension. He could not 
banish from his mind the strong utterance of Elijah, and 
the emphatic words of Micaiah. Though his wrath was 
hot, his heart trembled. He manifested his fear by his 
stratagem. “ He said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise 
myself, and enter into the battle ; but put thou on thy 
robes.” The design of Ahab is obvious. He would not 
be a prominent mark for the sharp-shooters of the enemy. 
He imagined that he could thwart the divine purpose by 
passing unobserved among the crowd. The strength of 
his fear is manifested in his desire that Jehoshaphat 
should put on his robes, and thus arrayed, enter the bat- 
tle, the splendid mark for the enemy. There was deep 
and scheming meanness in this proposition. He designed 


280 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


to thrust his friend into the most dangerous position, and 
thus shelter himself from harm. How consummately 
mean is sin. It is strange that the king of Judah did not 
see through this selfish villany. Perhaps Ahab flattered 
him with the conceit, that the place of honor belonged to 
him as his ally. Clad in his royal robes, and having the 
command of all the troops, the credit of the victory would 
be his. The soft words of flattery are always potent with 
the weak-minded. Jehoshaphat, though a good man, 
still had his weak side, and was easily circumvented by 
the wily and treacherous Ahab. “ He that loves to be 
flattered, is worthy of the flatterer . 5 5 

When the Syrian captains of the chariots saw Jehosha- 
phat arrayed in the pomp of royalty, directing the battle, 
they supposed him to be Ahab, and “they turned aside 
to fight against him . 55 For the king of Syria had com- 
manded, “ fight neither with small nor great, save only 
with the king of Israel . 55 There was military wisdom in 
this order. It was more important to slay or take captive 
the king, than to destroy thousands of common soldiers. 
Thus by one blow the battle would be ended and the vic- 
tory secured. 

It would be well, in our day, if the rulers among the 
nations, who make the wars, were required to go in per- 
son to be in the front of the battle and exposed promi- 
nently to the shafts of death. There would then be less 
of cabinet, parliamentary, congressional bravery. The 
sense of national honor would be less acute and more 
easily adjusted. There would be fewer wars, and less 
necessity for standing armies and frightful navies. 

Jehoshaphat was soon surrounded by the Syrian cap- 
tains. What were the probable feelings of Ahab at this 
moment % His wicked, selfish heart exulted in the success 
of his strategy. He had completely diverted attention 
from himself. He had concentrated it upon ' his ally. 
What if he is slain ? That would only be the fortune of 


AIIAB A ND JEZEBEL. 


281 


war. If one of the kings, as leaders of the hosts, must 
fall, it were better that the ally should die, than that the 
principal in the war should perish. Should Jehoshaphat 
be slain, then Ahab could throw off his disguise and com- 
mand in person. How specious are the reasonings of 
selfishness. 

The Syrian captains crowd up closer and closer upon 
Jehoshaphat. His condition becomes perilous in the ex- 
treme. They are on the point of dealing the death blow. 
“And Jehoshaphat cried out.” He made audible sup- 
plication to the Lord for his interposing help. In the 
parallel passage in 2d Chronicles 18 : 31, it is written, 
“Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him : and 
God moved them to depart from him. ’ 5 It may have been 
that this prayer to Jehovah convinced them that it could 
not be Ahab. As their orders were peremptory ‘ 4 to fight 
neither with small, nor great, save only with the king of 
Israel,” they were compelled, by military obedience, when 
they perceived their mistake, to turn back from pursuing 
him. Thus singularly was Jehoshaphat delivered from 
the peril into which his own folly and the treachery of 
Ahab had brought him. “God keep me from false 
friends.” 


THE DEATH. 

Baffled in their efforts to reach Ahab, and not knowing 
whither to direct their forces to find the king of Israel, 
the battle became general and “increased that day.” 
Ahab congratulates himself that he is safe in his disguise ; 
that the eye of no Syrian can penetrate it. He forgets 
that there is no hiding from God, whose eye penetrates 
through the darkness of midnight, and the deeper dark- 
ness of the traitor’s heart. “A certain man” of the Sy- 
rian army, “ drew a bow at a venture,” in his simplicity, 



DEATH OF AHAB. p. 282 















AHAB AND JEZEBEL. 


283 


having no definite aim. The arrow sped its way. Guid- 
ed by an unseen hand it goes, with unerring precision, 
“and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the 
harness,’’ (margin, joints of the breast-plate). There it 
found an entrance. Had it struck but a trifle on either 
side, it would have been repelled or have glanced off, 
harmless. It struck where it would fulfill its commission, 
being guided by a divine agency. “Every bullet has its 
billet.” What a thrill of horror must have run along 
every nerve, when Ahab felt the cold steel enter his vitals. 
He felt that his hour had come. “He said to the driver 
of his chariot, turn thine hand, carry me out of the host ; 
for I am wounded,” (margin, “made sick.”) “And he 
died at even, and the blood ran out of the wound into the 
midst of the chariot.” 


TIIE FULFILLMENT. 

“And there went a proclamation throughout the host 
about the going down of the sun, saying, every man to 
his city, and every man to his own country.” This was 
the fulfilling of the prediction of Macaiah, when he “saw 
all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not 
a shepherd.” 

A still more remarkable prophecy was uttered by Eli- 
jah, concerning Ahab. “In the place where the dogs 
licked the blood of Naboth, shall dogs lick thine, even 
thine.” This came to pass. 

The king of Israel died at Ramoth-Gilead, which is on 
the east side of the river Jordan, and is distant from Sa- 
maria on the west side of the river, about sixty miles. He 
vras “brought to Samaria, and buried there.” “And 
one washed the chariot and his armour in the pool of 
Samaria,” (that the clotted blood might be purged from 


284 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


them.) “And the dogs licked up his blood, according 
unto the word of the Lord which he spake.’’ 

Another prediction was uttered. This concerned Jeze- 
bel. “And of Jezebel, spake the Lord, saying, the dogs 
shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel.” This was not 
executed simultaneously with the death of Ahab. It was 
not until fifteen years had passed, that she met her death 
in an extraordinary manner. What effect the death of 
her husband, so strikingly fulfilling the words of the pro- 



JEZKEEL. 


phet, had upon her, we have no record. She appears 
again in the reign of Jehu. “ And when Jehu was come 
to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it, and she painted her face, 
and tired her head, and looked out at a window.” Con- 
fident of her feminine attractions, she spared no adorning 
to fascinate this young king. “ And as Jehu entered in 
at the gate, he lifted up his face to the window.” He rec- 
ognized her ; he knew of her ferocious life, and her many 


AIIAB AND JEZEBEL. 


285 


crimes. “ And lie said, throw her down. So they threw 
her down ; and some of her blood was sprinkled on the 
wall, and on the horses ; and he trode her under foot.” 
Thus, suddenly and unexpected, did death overtake her. 
This is not the whole. After Jehu “did eat and drink, 
he said, go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her, 
for she is a king’s daughter.” But the dogs have been 
at work executing their commission. “And they went 
to bury her ; but found no more of her than the skull, 
and the feet, and the palms of her hands.” When they 
reported these facts to Jehu, “he said, this is the word 
of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah, the 
Tishbite, saying, in the portion of Jezreel, shall dogs eat 
the flesh of Jezebel ; and the carcass of Jezebel shall be 
as dung upon the face of the field, in the portion of Jez- 
reel ; so that they shall not say, this is Jezebel.” No 
honorable monument shall mark the place of her burial. 
“The memory of the just is blessed ; but the name of the 
wicked shall rot.” — Prov. 10: 7. Well and truly hath 
the inspired penman written, “ that thy foot may be dip- 
ped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy 
dogs in the same.” — Ps. 68: 23. Thine hand shall find 
out thine enemies ; thy right hand shall find out those 
that hate thee,” — “therefore, shalt thou make them turn 
their back, when thou shalt make ready thine arrows up- 
on thy strings against the face of them. Be thou exalted 
Lord, in thine own strength ; so will we sing and praise 
thy power.”— Ps. 21 : 8, 12, 13. 

Of Jehoshaphat the simple record is that “ he return- 
ed to his house in peace to Jerusalem.’ This may mean 
that his alliance with Ahab did not involve him in a war 
with the Syrians. The great error of his life was the en- 
tangling alliance with Ahab, from which resulted disas- 
trous consequences to the kingdom of Judah. His son 
Jehoram, married Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and 
Jezebel. The evil influence of this woman on Jehoram, 


280 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


like that of her mother upon Ahab, did much to render 
his reign a curse to Judah. “ And he walked in the ways 
of the king of Israel, like as did the house of Ahab, for 
he had the daughter of Ahab to wife, and he wrought 
that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord.” — 2 Chron. 
21 : 6 . 

The reflections of Jehoshaphat, after his return to Je- 
rusalem, must have impressed him with the folly and 
wickedness of his course, in being intimate with evil com- 
panions. His severest troubles came from his alliance 
with Ahab. There could be no sympathy between them 
in their religious beliefs. The one an idolator, the other 
a worshiper of the true God. The character of men are 
influenced and formed by their associates. Jehoshaphat 
yielded to the influences that surrounded him. That 
which at first was repulsive, he acceded to. Had the in- 
timacy with Ahab continued through years it is to be 
feared the deterioration would have been more serious. 
All alliances not based upon moral right are certainly 
dangerous in their effects on character. 

The king of Judah must have felt that the multitude 
of counsellors is not always safe. Though he sought af- 
ter and had the mind of God, through Micaiah, still he 
yielded to expediency and to the counsel of the four hun- 
dred prophets of Baal. This was the case in which he 
should have stood firm, manifesting his confidence in the 
Lord. He wavered — he went contrary to it, and the 
trouble came. Pilate also yielded to the influence of the 
multitude when they cried out “ crucify him ;” “if thou 
let this man go thou art not Ceasar’s friend,” and he put 
to death the Lord of glory. Soon he came to grief, was 
deprived of his office, banished to Gaul, where he miser- 
ably perished by his own hand. There are cases where 
men must stand firm to their convictions of the right, 
though like Luther, they seemingly stand alone. The 
great question for everyone is not what will the world 


AITAB AND JEZEBEL. 


287 


say, — not what will promote present ease, or, my world- 
ly prosperity, but what will please God and promote the 
spiritual interests of the soul. “ Thou shalt not follow a 
multitude to do evil.”— Ex. 23 : 2. “My son, if sinners 
entice thee, consent thou not.” — Prov. 1 : 10. 

When Jehoshaphat reviewed the lives of Ahab and 
Jezebel, recalled the predictions against them and the 
manner of their death, he could not escape the conviction 
that retribution is an element in the moral government of 
God. He knew of the predictions. He knew also the 
certain fulfillment. There were many links in the chain, 
extending through years, yet not one failed. Each provi- 
dence advanced the prediction towards its fulfillment. 
No ingenuity of worldly prudence, or selfish scheming of 
Ahab, could turn aside the commissioned arrow. For all 
contingencies are in the hands of God. He can and will 
so order them as to work out his plans Though years 
may roll on, he still remembers. Though difficulties pile 
up he either scatters them, or causes them to hedge in the 
wicked. The dogs licking up the blood of Ahab at the 
place where they licked up the blood of Naboth. And 
the dogs eating the flesh of Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel, 
where they devoured the flesh of Naboth, was retributive 
justice. 

This principle of the divine government was not simply 
an expedient adapted to that rough age ; but is permanent. 
It stands out prominently in the workings of providence. 
Adonibezek recognized it when he said, “as I have done, 
so God hath requited me.”— Judges 1 : 7. The hanging 
of Haman on the gallows he prepared for Mordecai, was 
retributive. “ He hath conceived mischief, and brought 
forth falsehood. He made a pit, and digged it, and is 
fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall 
return upon his own head, and his violent dealings upon 
his own pate.”— Ps. 7 : 14-16. “ And he shall bring up- 

on them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in 


288 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


their own wickedness, yea, the Lord our God shall cut 
them off.” — Ps. 94 : 23. 

In reviewing the life and death of this strange pair, 
how apposite the remark of C. C. Colton: “The only 
thing in which we can be said to have any property are our 
actions. Our thoughts may be bad, yet produce no poison, 
they may be good, yet produce no fruit. Our riches 
may be taken from us by misfortune, our reputation by 
malice, our spirits by calamity, our health by disease, our 
friends by death. But our actions must follow us be- 
yond the grave. With respect to them alone we cannot 
say that we shall carry nothing with us when we die, 
neither that we shall go naked out of the world. Our 
actions must clothe us with an immortality, loathsome or 
glorious. These are the only title deeds of which we can- 
not be disinherited. They will have their full weight in 
the balance of eternity, when everything else is as nothing; 
and their value will be confirmed and established by those 
two sure and sateless destroyers of all other earthly 
things, Time and Death.” 


AMAZIAH. 

Conflict between Duty and 
Interest. 


is 


AMAZIAH. 


CONFLICT BETWEEN DUTY AND INTEREST 


Under the reign of Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, the 
Hebrew commonwealth became divided into two separate 
kingdoms. Ten of the tribes were led away by Jeroboam. 
With these he established the kingdom of Israel 975 years 
B. C. He reigned twenty -two years. His character is 
summed up in the expressive words of Scripture, “who 
made Israel to sin.” Fearing the influence of the pil- 
grimages of the people to the appointed feasts at Jerusa- 
lem; he made Bethel and Dan the places for worship. 
Here he set up a golden figure of Mnevis, the sacred calf 
of Heliopolis, with the address, “Behold thy God which 
brought thee out of the land of Egypt.” This and kin- 
dred forms of idolatry characterized all the kings of Israel 
until it was blotted out as a kingdom, being lost in the 
carrying away of the people. 

Amaziah, the son of Joash, was the eighth king of Ju- 
dah. He came to the throne upon the murder of his 
father, 835 years B. C. He was twenty-five years old 
when he began his reign, which continued for twenty- 
nine years. 

The inspired record of his character is brief but expres- 
sive. “He did that which was right in the sight of the 
Lord, but not with a perfect heart, yet not like David, but 
according to all things as Joash, his father, did.” 

As soon as the kingdom was established to him, his 

p. 290 


AMAZIAH. 


$91 


first act was one of exemplary justice. “ He slew liis ser- 
vants that had killed the king, his father.’ ’ By this act 
he brought the known murderers to the punishment re- 
quired by the decision of God. ‘ ‘ Whoso sheddeth man’ s 
blood, by man shall his blood be shed : for in the image 
of God made he man.” — Gen. 9:6. “He that smiteth 
a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.” — Ex. 
21 : 12. “Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the 
life of a murderer, which is guilty of death : but he shall 
be surely put to death;”— Numb. 35 : 31. “ He slew not 

their children, but did as it is written in the law of the 
book of Moses, wherein the Lord commanded, saying, the 
fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither 
shall the children be put to death for the fathers. Every 
man shall be put to death for his own sin.” — Deut. 24 : 
16. These two precepts he faithfully carried out in obe- 
dience to the divine command. To enforce the latter, he 
had not only to resist the temptations of his own heart, 
but that which was more difficult, the usages of that day. 


THE CONFLICT. 

The Edomites were the descendants of Esau, the brother 
of Jacob, whose descendants constituted the Jewish nation. 
Esau’ s hatred to his brother descended from sire to son, 
to his latest posterity. The king of Edom “refused to 
give Israel passage through his border.” — Numb. 20 : 
14-21. About four hundred years after this, they were 
attacked and defeated by Saul. — 1 Sam. 14 : 47. And 
forty years later David destroyed their army, and placed 
garrisons in all their strongholds. — 1 Kings 11 : 15, 16 ; 
and 2 Sam. 8 : 13, 14. Thus they became a subject people, 
which continued to the reign of Jehoshaphat, when in 
conjunction with Moab and Ammon, they attempted to 
invade Israel, but failed. — 2 Chron. 20 : 22. Having 


292 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


recruited their forces, some years later, in the reign of 
Jehoram, 889 years B. C., they successfully revolted. 
The record is : “ In his days the Edomites revolted from 
under the dominion of Judah, and made themselves a 
king.” — 2 Chron. 21 : 8. This independence they main- 
tained for about fifty years. It was during this period 
that Amaziah, in the twelfth year of his reign, determined 
to reduce again the Edomites to subjection^ and thus not 
only punish them for their many insults and injuries, but 
secure his kingdom from future troubles. 



PETEA EDOM. 

For this purpose he collected an army of 300,000 choice 
men, “from twenty years old and above, able to go to 
war, that could handle spear and shield.” “And he 
made captains over thousands, and captains over hun- 
dreds, according to the houses of their fathers, through- 
out all Judah and Benjamin.” Large as this number of 
effective men may appear, Amaziah did not feel that it 
was competent for the emergency. He remembered that 
Jehoram, with a much larger army, had been unsuccess- 
ful in his attempt to subjugate the Edomites. Petra, their 
strong city, hewn from the rocks, was well nigh impreg- 
nable. In order therefore to be assured of strength, ade- 


AMAZIAH. 


293 


quate for the occasion, he hired the services of 100,000 
men of valor from the king of Israel, for one hundred 
talents of silver. This is the first instance on record, in 
the history of the Jews, where a mercenary army is em- 
ployed. Nor was this movement of Amaziah unnatural, 
for the Edomites were the common enemy both of Judah 
and Israel. Their subjugation to either kingdom would 
suit the interest of each. Besides, as Judah and Israel 
sprang from the same venerated patriarch, they would be 
of one heart and of one mind, thus giving assurance of 
success. Upon the review of his forces, the king of J udah 
found at his command 400,000 men of valor, in the prime 
of life. It was a proud day when these dense masses, in 
shining armor, moved over the plains — when the stirring 
notes of the trumpets were answered by the shoutings of 
the soldiers panting for the encounter ; O, it was a proud 
day for this king of Judah. Every eye was turned to 
him. Every arm moved at his bidding — his will was ab- 
solute. His plans are all formed. The battle is arranged, 
and every one is in waiting for the one word, onward , 
when, lo ! a messenger hurries forward, and presents him- 
self in the presence of the king. It is a man of God — 
well known as such — and bearing some commissioned word 
from the throne of the Highest. The message is personal. 
“ O king, let not the army of Israel go with you, for the 
Lord is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of 
Ephraim.” This was like a clap of thunder in a clear 
sky. It was stunning to the king. He paused, he deeply 
meditated, he knew not what to say or to do. The man 
of God saw his perplexity. It may be he saw the setting 
of his mind to dash aside this message, and crowd forward 
his troops. Therefore he again spoke, saying, “But if 
thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle : God shall 
make thee fall before the enemy, for God hath power to 
help, and to cast down.” This was timely caution. Thus 
warned, the responsibility would be upon Amaziah. In 


294 


BIBLE PKIXCIPLES. 


vain would be all the gathered thousands of troops, unless 
God should go with them. It is with him to grant the 
triumph, for “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle 
to the strong, but it is for God to help or to cast down.” 
The reason why the hired troops must be dismissed, was 
that the Lord is not with Israel. With them the Lord 
had a controversy, for these ten tribes had abandoned the 
worship of the true God, and had gone to the worship of 
idols. Besides, it was but a short time since that Judah 
and Benjamin had entered into a covenant to seek and to 
serve the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their 
heart and with all their soul. When Azariah, the prophet, 
assured them, that the Lord would be with them, whilst 
they should walk in the way of his commands, putting 
their trust in him, then all Judah rejoiced at the oath, and 
at the covenant thus solemnly made with God. To enter 
into a confederacy with Israel, who had turned their back 
upon the Lord and all his commands, was practically to 
distrust God, and to put confidence in his enemies, and 
in the idols which they served. Here then was a positive 
issue. Amaziah must either put confidence in God, and 
dismiss the 100,000 valiant men of Israel, or, confiding in 
the powers of his great numbers, go forth to the war. If 
the latter should be the determination of the king, for no 
agency of God would keep him back, then, said the man 
of God, 4 4 be strong for the battle. 5 ’ Make every arrange- 
ment which human ingenuity and good generalship can 
suggest ; take every precaution which human prudence 
and sagacity can devise, so that there may be nothing 
lacking of human agency, then abide the result, for “know 
thou that God shall make thee fall before the enemy.” 

The position of the king was, certainly one of great per- 
plexity. Here, on the one hand, was the positive prohi- 
bition of God, demanding the sending back the 100,000 
men of valor hired from Israel. Here was the absolute 
declaration that God was not with Israel, and that this 


AMAZIAH. 


295 


augmented army would be routed by the Edomites. 
Surely, there was no room for hesitancy. “It is better 
to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is 
better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in prin- 
ces.” This is all true, yet there were other motives which 
doubtless pleaded with this king of Judah. 

He had made large preparations, and the pride of con- 
sistency would urge him on. He had entered into a posi- 
tive arrangement with the king of Israel, a hundred 
talents of silver had already been paid, and 100, 000 troops 
were then on the ground. To break up this arrangement 
would certainly give offence, and might make the king 
of Israel his enemy. The only reason assigned for dis- 
missing these hired troops, was calculated to excite the 
wrath of these men of valor. Hot only would there be a 
seeming distrust of their courage, or fidelity, — but a posi- 
tive condemnation of them, on account of their religion. 
Experience and observation teaches, that there is nothing 
for which a man will so readily fight as for his religion. 
And more especially will the fierce and corrupt passions 
of his nature be aroused and concentrated, if that religion 
is false, and appeals to the animal senses, or the imagi- 
nation of the worshipers. 

In the case on hand, the troops of Israel were to be re- 
jected solely on account of their religion. It was the 
God whom Amaziah worshiped denouncing the gods in 
whom the Israelites trusted. Ho mind, acquainted with 
the workings of human nature, could doubt that peril 
was connected with such a step. Expediency with its 
plausible arguments pleaded with the king to disobey the 
command, which the man of God had delivered. All 
considerations are overcome save one, — this holds the 
mind of the king. “And Amaziah said to the man of 
God, but what shall we do for the hundred talents which 
I have given to the army of Israel ?” This was a largo 
amount of money for that day. According to the esti- 


296 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


mate of those biblical scholars, who have particularly de- 
voted their attention to this subject, the hundred talents 
of silver would now amount to more than $180,000. To 
lose this large sum would impoverish his treasury, whilst, 
to human calculation, his prospect of spoil from the ene- 
my was less certain. To demand the return of this money 
was impracticable, unless at the hazard of a double war, 
with Israel and the Edomites, yet how to do without this 
hundred talents of silver, the king knew not. This prop- 
erty question was the last, the only remaining difficulty 
in the way of Amaziah. We admire the frankness with 
which he openly stated his difficulty. Most men would 
have felt the pressure of it upon their judgment. The 
king stated this balancing point of his mind. And how 
is it met ? “ The man of God answered, the Lord is able 

to give thee much more than this.” He gave the king to 
understand, that all the silver and the gold belong to 
God, and that he has a perfect right to dispose of it ac- 
cording to his pleasure. He would have this king know, 
that he was only a steward of God, and that what he pos- 
sessed was what the Lord had trusted in his hand, and 
that the Lord exercised his own pleasure in the distribu- 
tion of it. Had the prophet said, give up this hundred 
talents of silver, and you shall have a thousand in return, 
the appeal would have been to the selfishness of Amaziah, 
and would not have improved his moral character. All 
that he did was to recall to the king the fact that God was 
able to bestow upon him much more of treasure than this 
one hundred talents of silver. In this manner the man of 
God placed the king in such a position that, he might, of 
his own acting, obey the command and manifest his trust- 
ful confidence in the Lord. Or, if he refused obedience, 
he would be without any excuse, inasmuch as the whole 
case was fully before him. 


AMAZIAH. 


297 


OBEDIENCE AXD SUCCESS. 

The record is, “ then Amaziah separated them, to wit, 
the army that was come to him out of Ephraim, to go 
home again.” This decision and prompt conduct was 
the result of the conversation which the prophet had with 
him. This conduct required no small amount of inde- 
pendence and of moral courage. It manifested reveren- 
tial regard for the expressed will of God, and stands on 
the sacred page, as an illustration of the triumph of prin- 
ciple over the selfishness and fears of the heart. There 
are few men, similarly situated, who would have so frank- 
ly avowed his difficulties, and so promptly have obeyed 
the divine command. 

Having decided — having decided right — and having the 
approbation of his conscience, he immediately set himself 
to work to prepare for the battle. He did not so under- 
stand his dependence upon God as to relax his own exer- 
tions. He felt that if it were the divine purpose to give 
him the victory, it would be only in the diligent use of 
the appropriate means. This sentiment was fully ex- 
pressed by the Apostle Paul, on the occasion of his ship- 
wreck. Though God had most solemnly assured him 
that no life should be lost, still when he saw the shipmen 
about escaping from the vessel in the boat, he cried out, 
“ except thou abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved.” 
The reason was obvious, the appropriate means of work- 
ing the ship would be gone, and, without these, God 
would not accomplish his own purpose. 

The king strenthened himself : “that is, put his army 
in the best order and position,” and led forth his people 
and went to the Valley of Salt. This place was memora- 
ble for the victory of David over the Edomites when they 
were subjugated, and was an inviting locality for another 
conflict. The Bible Dictionary says “ there can be little 





p. 298 


VALLEY OF SALT. 





AMAZIAII. 


299 


doubt tliat the name designates the broad deep valley El- 
Ghor, prolonged, some eight miles south of the Dead Sea, 
to the chalky cliffs called Akrabbim.” Here the battle 
was joined, and 10,000 of the children of Sur, or Edomites, 
were slain. Besides this, a very large number of prison- 
ers must have been taken, for we read, “and other ten 
thousand, left alive, did the children of Judah carry away 
captive, and brought them unto the top of the rock and 
cast them down from the top of the rock that they all were 
broken in pieces.” The reason why this method of de- 
struction was adopted is not stated. As the Edomites 
were formerly under the authority of Judah, and as they 
had revolted, so everyone was regarded as a traitor, and 
as such worthy of death. We may not condemn this con- 
duct in this early and semi-barbarous age without more 
severely condemning the doctrine now held among pro- 
fessedly Christian and civilized nations. Had the war of 
the revolution been unsuccessful, Washington and Han- 
cock, Adams and Jefferson, and the multitude of other 
patriots would have died upon the scaffold, under the brand 
of infamy as traitors. When, having signed the declara- 
tion of independence, one said, “now brothers we must 
all hang together. ’ ? Franklin archly replied, “ if we don’ 0 
we shall all be hung separately.”' 

The result was that Amaziah, with his reduced army, 
was victorious. The power that annoyed and defied him 
was crushed and humbled. And doubtless much treasure 
fell to him from the Edomites. Thus by trusting in the 
Lord there was both safety and advantage. 


UNHAPPY CONSEQUENCES. 

This victory was not without some alloy. The effect 
which it produced upon the mind of the king was strange 
and most unhappy. How frequently it is the case that 



p. 300 


RUINS OF EDOM 


















AMAZIAH. 


301 


men who conduct themselves discreetly when in adverse 
circumstances are greatly injured by the operations of pros- 
perity. Thus it was with this king. Strange as it may 
seem, he, who so recently was obedient to the command of 
God, falls away into idolatry the most gross and senseless. 
“ Now it came to pass, after that Amaziah was come from 
the slaughter of the Edomites, that he brought the gods of 
the children of Seir, and set them up to be his gods, and 
bowed down himself before them and burned incense to 
them.” How perverse is the heart of man. This king 
had just dismissed the 100,000 valiant men of Ephraim 
from his army, because the man of God told him that 
God was angry with them because of their idolatry. He 
had just experienced a signal victory over his enemies 
when he was obedient to, and trusted in the Lord. How 
amazing then, that he should immediately either abandon 
the true God, or adopt in addition the idols of the peo- 
ple he had vanquished. Thus he kindled against himself 
the just anger of the Lord. “ Wherefore the anger of 
the Lord was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto 
him a prophet which said unto him. Why hast thou 
sought after the gods of the people which could not de- 
liver their own people out of thine hand V 9 “ This rebuke 
which convicted him not only of the wickedness, but the 
folly of his course, awakened the anger of the king so 
that he indignantly flung back the question of the prophet. 
“The king said unto him, art thou made of the king’s 
counsel \ forbear ; why shouldest thou be smitten.” Poor 
human nature, how little it can bear of prosperity ! How 
giddy a little elevation makes it. How authoritative and 
self-confident it becomes under success. Soon we see 
more certain indications of the workings of this proud 
spirit, and a fulfillment of that divine proverb, “pride 
goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a 
fall.” Then the prophet ceased to question, and said, “ I 
know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because 


302 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


thou hast done this (idolatry), and hast not hearkened unto 
my counsel.” Thus given up of God, the king advises 
with counsellors of his own choice, who were ready to 
second the desires of his heart and soon involves himself 
in trouble. 

The 100,000 men of valor of Israel, when they were dis- 
missed, were greatly incensed. u Wherefore their anger 
was greatly kindled against Judah, and they returned 
home in great anger and “they fell upon the cities of 
Judah, from Samaria, even to Beth-hoson, and smote 
three thousand of them, (people) and took much spoil.” 
These were border territories of Judah, and had partaken 
of the idolatrous practices of the Israelites. Thus they 
were punished for their evil doings, and Amaziah had 
evidence that mercenary troops are never hearty in their 
attachments, as a larger price would buy them for the 
other side. Incensed with this hostile demonstration, he 
challenges to war, Joash, the king of Israel. Joash cau- 
tioned him against rushing into war, saying, “thou hast 
indeed smitten Edom, and thine heart hath lifted thee up 
to boast. Abide now at home ; for why shouldest thou 
meddle to thine hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou 
and J udah with thee ?” “ But Amaziah would not hear ; 

for it came of God, that he might deliver them into the 
hand of their enemies, because they sought after the gods 
of Edom.” These two kings, with their armies, joined in 
battle ; but Judah was put to the worse before Israel, 
and they fled, ‘ ‘ every man to his tent. ’ ’ J oash took Am- 
aziah prisoner, and in this degraded capacity, carried him 
to Jerusalem ; the walls of which he broke down. The 
house of God he pillaged of all its gold and silver and 
sacred vessels. The palace, he robbed of its treasures, 
he took hostages also, for the good behaviour of the roy- 
al prisoner, whom he left in Jerusalem, having indeed, 
the title of king, but deprived of all power. It does not 
appear that these afflictions brought him to penitence. 


AMAZIAH. 


308 


It would seem that he grew more and more desparate, as 
his haughty spirit chaffed under the galling chains of 
degradation. Those outbursts of wrath so worried his 
people, that they could bear them no longer. “Now, 
after the time that Amaziah turned away from following 
the Lord, they made a conspiracy against him in Jerusa- 
lem ; and he fled to Lachish ; but they sent to Lachish 
after him, and slew him there. And they brought him 
upon horses, and buried him with his fathers, in the city 
of Judah. ” Such was the miserable end of one who for- 
sook the God whom he served in his youth, and whose 
heart was lifted up in the days of his worldly prosperity, 
to the denial of God, to worshiping of idols, and the 
ruin of his soul. At one period, his trust in God was ex- 
emplary. It was when he was young, and willing to 
venture the loss of temporal good, and to hazard the 
wrath of the enemies of God, in obedience to the com- 
mand of the Lord. This was a critical period. He passed 
bravely through it, and was not disappointed in his re- 
liance upon God. 

The conflict between duty and worldly interests, meets 
and tries all men, and determines their character. It was 
this trial that revealed the true spirit of the rich young 
ruler. He was anxious about his soul, he was willing to 
make that anxiety known ; he came openly and boldly 
to Christ, expressing a readiness to do any thing, in order 
to obtain eternal life. Christ bade him keep the com- 
mandments. These, he declared, that he had kept from 
his youth up. The Lord bade him sell all his possessions, 
distribute the avails to the poor, and follow him ; then 
thou shalt have treasure in heaven. Here, he had to 
choose between obedience and present worldly interests. 
His decision was declaration of his character “And he 
was sad at that saying, and went away grieved ; for he 
had great possessions.” It is upon this rock that most 
men perish. The conflict is between their worldly inter- 
ests and their duty to God, and to their own souls. 


304 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


“After hypocrites, the greatest dupes the devil has are 
those who exhaust an anxious existence in the disap- 
pointments and vexations of business, and live miserably 
and meanly, only to die magnificently and rich. For, 
like the hypocrites, the only disinterested action these 
men can accuse themselves of is, that of serving the devil, 
without receiving his wages ; for the assumed formality 
of the one, is not a more effectual bar to enjoyment, than 
the real avarice of the other. He that stands every 
day of his life behind a counter, until he drops from it 
into the grave, may negotiate many very profitable bar- 
gains ; but he has made a single bad one, so bad indeed, 
that it counterbalances all the rest ; for the empty foolery 
of dying rich, he has paid down his health, his happiness, 
and his integrity ; since a very old author observes, that 
“as mortar sticketh between the stones, so sticketh fraud 
between buying and selling .” Such a worldling may be 
compared to a merchant, who should put a rich cargo in- 
to a vessel, embark with it himself, and encounter all the 
perils and privations of the sea, although he was thorough- 
ly convinced before hand that he was only providing for 
a shipwreck, at the end of a troublesome and tedious 
voyage. 5 ’ — Lac on. 


PROUD TYRE. 


Foretellings and Doom. 


PROUD TYRE. 


FORETELLINGS AND DOOM. 


God’ s treatment of nations is no longer a problem to 
be worked out. It is abundantly proven by their histo- 
ries. They are judged by the same law which approves 
or condemns the conduct of its individual inhabitants. 

A necessary discrimination obtains in one point. The 
responsibility of the individual extends into the future 
state of existence, where, impartial justice will be award- 
ed to each, according to the deeds done in the body. 
Nations are dealt with only in this world. Having no 
other existence, their destiny must here be determined. 
Hence, they have their infancy, their manhood, their de- 
cay and their extinction. The trusts they have abused, 
pass into other hands. This is eminently set forth in the 
succession of empires in the olden times. The great 
Babylonian empire gave place to the Medo-Persian. 
This, again was absorbed by the Grecian, and this by the 
Roman. And the old Homan, which conquered the then 
world, was broken into fragments, and as an empire, 
passed away. 

God’s treatment has not been arbitrary, but has been 
regulated by the fixed laws of right, and the inevitable 
ruin by sin. 

The same causes which either ennoble or ruin individ- 
uals, operate to ennoble or ruin nations. “ Righteous- 
ness exalteth a nation ; but sin is a reproach to any 
people.” The margin reads, “ nations.” — Prov. 14: 34. 

p. 306 


PROUD TYRE. 


307 


The political teachings of the Bible are too much over- 
looked. Nay, the multitude of statesmen and politicians 
have no suspicion, that such teachings are to be found in 
that sacred book. They never consult it to learn, from 
the records of experience, what have been the certain out- 
workings of the courses which nations have adopted. 
Nor do they ponder the utterances of divine wisdom in 
their warnings against wrong, and commendations of the 
right in nations. 

In the Bible is traced out with unerring accuracy, the 
diversified career of a single nation, through many cen- 
turies, most favorably conditioned, and that too, under 
different forms of government. Their prosperity, whilst 
virtuous, humble and obedient to the right, is marked 
with the strongest emphasis, Also, their troubles, their 
weakness and defeats, when proud and arrogant and will- 
ful. When penitent and humble they return to right 
ways, their prosperity returns ; but when perseveringly 
disobedient and wicked, their nationality is broken up, 
and they dispersed, wanderers without a home among the 
nations. The mission of most of the prophets to the kings 
of Israel and Judah, were of a political character. They 
carried to them denunciations of their sins, and warnings 
of the certain trouble which awaited them, unless, by re- 
pentance and reformation, they averted their ruin. So 
also, the New Testament has much wise instruction for 
rulers and for subjects. These political teachings are 
written down for the benefit of all nations who are wise 
enough to avail themselves of instruction. These teach- 
ings are not confined to the diversified phases of the He- 
brew national life. They touch and delineate the destiny 
of other empires and peoples, as they come into view in 
connection with the history of the Jews. The causes 
which precipitated their ruin, are clearly stated. Thus, 
to all who have eyes to see, and a head to understand, 
they stand forth as monumental warnings. 


B08 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


From among the many illustrations, I have selected for 
this present paper, 


god’s dealings with tyre. 

Tyre was an ancient city. More than fourteen hundred 
years before Christ, Joshua, 19: 29, calls it u the strong 
city, Tyre.” Isaiah, 23 : 7, seven hundred and tifteen 
years before Christ, calls it the 4 ‘joyous city, whose an- 
tiquity is of ancient days. 5 ’ Strabo says, 4 4 N ext to Sidon, 
Tyre is the largest and most ancient city of the Phoeni- 
cians, and comparable to it in size, beauty and antiquity.” 
Thus for full seven centuries it was a prosperous and in- 
fluential city. It was situated on the eastern coast of the 
Mediterranean sea, midway between Egypt and Asia 
Minor, and north-west of Palestine. Its location was ad- 
mirably adapted to commerce. The original city was 
built upon the main land. At a later day, for reasons 
which we shall subsequently state, it was erected on an 
island about half a-mile from the main shore. 

During the reign of David and Solomon, the most 
friendly relations existed between the Tyrians and the 
Hebrews. 44 Hiram, the king of Tyre, sent messengers to 
David, and cedar trees, and carpenters and masons, (hewers 
of stone of the wall,) and they built David an house.” — 
2 Sam. 5 : 11. Some years later, when Solomon was pre- 
paring for the building of the Temple, he sent unto Hiram, 
the king of Tyre, for cedar trees and for workmen, 4 4 for 
thou knowest that there is not among us any that can 
skill to hew timber like unto the Sidonians.” During 
the building of the Temple there was sent unto Solomon 
the son of a widow, whose father was a man of Tyre, and 
who was a cunning worker in brass, and whose name was 
Hiram. He came to Solomon and wrought all his works. 
— 1 Kings 5 and 7. When Solomon sent forth his navy 


PROUD TYRE. 


309 


of ships to Opliir, for gold, Hiram, witli his experienced 
men of the sea, sent his servants with the servants of Solo- 
mon, and successfully accomplished the voyage. These 
friendly relations were broken off after the secession of 
the ten tribes, under Jeroboam, which constituted the 
kingdom of Israel. There were continual wars between 
Israel and Judah. As the territory of Israel lay contigu- 
ous to that of Tyre, whilst the friendship for Judah would 
naturally wane, it would grow stronger for Israel. W e 
read that “Ahab, king of Israel, married Jezebel, a 
daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians.” — 1 Kings 
16 : 31. 

The commerce of Tyre was, in that day, very extensive. 
History informs us that the Tyrians were bold navigators. 
Though they had no mariner’s compass to guide them, 
they pushed their commerce beyond the pillars of Her- 
culus, now the straits of Gibraltar, into the broad Atlan- 
tic ocean. They planted colonies in Cyprus, (now under 
British rule,) Utica and Carthage, and it is stated that the 
city of Cadiz, in Spain, was founded by them. Ezekiel, 
Chapter 27, mentions Syria, Persia, and Egypt, Greece, 
Spain, and many other places of the old world, as coming 
with their most precious things, and laying them at the 
feet of Tyre. Well might Isaiah, 23 : 8, call “Tyre the 
crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traf- 
fickers are the honorable of the earth.” 

Notwithstanding its antiquity, it was a colony from 
Sidon, a city of Phcenecia, on the Mediterranean sea, 
twenty miles north of Tyre, and as many south of Beyroot. 
Tyre is called by Isaiah, 23: “the daughter of Zidon.” 
The location being so favorable for commerce, having then 
a good and safe harbor, the enterprising merchants, me- 
chanics, and shipmasters of Zidon, removed there, and 
for their protection it was strongly fortified. It grew 
with great rapidity in population and wealth. It became 
celebrated for its manufactures, and its skill in the arts. 


310 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Ezekiel 27 : 16, speaks “of the multitude of the wares of 
their making,” and that “they occupied in their fairs 
with emeralds, purple and broidered work, and fine linen, 
coral and agate,” (margin, chrysoprase.) So distin- 
guished as an article of magnificence and luxury, was the 
Tyrian purple, that every king coveted a robe of this pe- 
culiar dye. 


FORETELLINGS. 

Six prophets, viz., Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Joel, Amos, 
and Zechariah, uttered predictions against Tyre. Those 
by Ezekiel are the most marked. Three consecutive 
chapters form a series of predictions. In the 26th chapter 
the arrogant exultations of Tyre over the fall of Jerusa- 
lem, is stated as the occasion of these denunciations. 
“Because that Tyrus hath said against Jerusalem, aha, 
she is broken that was the gates of the people ; she is 
turned unto me : I shall be replenished, now she is laid 
waste : therefore, thus saith the Lord God ; behold, I am 
against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to 
come up against thee, as the sea causeth her waves to 
come up. And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, 
and break down her towers : I will also scrape her dust 
from her, and make her like the top of a rock. It shall 
be a place for the spreading of nets, in the midst of the 
sea : for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God ; and it 
shall become a spoil to the nations. 5 ’ The prophet further 
speaks of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, as one of 
the hostile powers in the work of conquest. 

Another portion of the prophecy is a lamentation over 
Tyre ; describing her beauty and her treasures, under the 
figure of a noble ship, well constructed, manned and 
freighted — broken by the violence of the storm, and foun- 
dering in the deep sea. Still further, the prophet lays 


PROUD TYRE. 


311 


bare her haughty assumptions and self-confidence — how 
Ithobal, king of Tyre, claimed divine prerogatives. He 
speaks of the corruptions of this king, and the iniquities 
of the people, because of their wealth and luxury. 

The investigation of these predictions, with their ful- 
fillment, will help us more perfectly to understand the 
ways of Providence towards nations. Here, as in a mir- 
ror, we shall perceive the motives which ruled in the 
heart of the wicked rulers, as well as the ease with which 
God can use such men, without interfering with their 
free agency, but using that freedom of will, for the ac- 
complishment of his purposes in the discipline or destruc- 
tion of guilty nations. 


FULFILLMENT. 

The first actor in this remarkable drama of Providence, 
brought to the front, is Salmanezer, the king of Assyria, 
which is Babylon. This seige took place about eight 
hundred years before Christ. What is worthy of partic- 
ular notice, is that at the time the prophecy was uttered, 
the Assyrians were an inconsiderable power ; but by con- 
tinued aggressions and fortifying, they became, at the 
time of the seige, the great monarchy of the East. Sal- 
manezer, the king, having taken Samaria, and conquered 
the kingdom of Israel, and carried the inhabitants into 
captivity, stimulated by his cupidity, he brought forward 
his army and laid seige to Tyre. The prize was very 
tempting, for Tyre had reached its greatest prosperity. 
She had extended her dominion, by planting splendid 
colonies. Among these were Carthage, Utica, and Cy- 
prus. It is also believed that her mother, Zidon, became 
subject to her. He brought against Tyre, a navy of sixty 
ships, with eight hundred rowers, furnished him by the 
Phoenicians. Against these the Tyrians went with only 


312 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


twelve ships. But with their superior seamanship, they 
dispersed the sixty ships, and took five hundred prison- 
ers. Whilst his army folded around the city, he cut off 
their supply of water, which was furnished by aqueducts. 
This source of distress the Tyrians remedied, by sinking 
wells within the city. At the end of five years, he gave 
up the hope of subduing them ; he raised the seige and 
returned home with his forces. This assault was made 
upon the old city, built upon the main land. 


SECOND SIEGE. 

It was at this period, when Tyre was at the height of 
her prosperity, and vain-glories, and self-confident, by 
reason of her successful resistance of the long continued 
assault of Salmanezer, that Ezekiel utters a new predic- 
tion. “ Behold, thus saith the Lord God ; behold I will 
bring upon Tyrus Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, a 
king of kings, from the north, with horses and with char- 
iots, and with horsemen and companies, and much people. 
He shall slay with the sword thy daughters in the field : 
and he shall make a fort against thee, and cast a mount 
against thee, and lift up the buckler against thee. And 
he shall set engines of war against thy walls, and with his 
axes he shall break down thy towers. By reason of the 
abundance of his horses their dust shall cover thee ; thy 
walls shall shake at the noise of the horsemen, and of the 
wheels, and of the chariots, when he shall enter into thy 
gates, as men enter into a city wherein is made a breach. 
With the hoof of his horses shall he tread down all thy 
streets : he shall slay thy people by the sword, and thy 
strong garrisons shall go down to the ground. And they 
shall make a spoil of thy riches, and make a prey of thy 
merchandise : and they shall break down thy walls, and 
destroy thy pleasant houses : and they shall lay thy stones 


PROUD TYRE. 


313 


and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water. 
And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease, and the 
sound of thy harp shall no more be heard.”— Ex. 26 : 
7-13. This is a fearful inventory of particulars, and be- 
yond the power of unaided intellect, or a shrewd knowl- 
edge of human nature to forecast. Years, many years 
rolled on, but all was peace and prosperity. But Nebu- 
chadnezzar came, and after a persistent and laborious 
siege of thirteen years, did take and utterly destroy the 
old city, built upon the main land. He did fulfill all the 
items of the prediction. Fearful, to the Tyrians, was this 
protracted siege and destruction of their old city. Ezekiel 
not only foretold the ruin, but in a later chapter, records 
the fulfillment. “ And it came to pass, in the seven and 
twentieth year, in the first day of the month, the word of 
the Lord came unto me, saying, son of man, Nebuchad- 
nezzar, king of Babylon, caused his army to serve a great 
service against Tyrus. Every head was made bald, and 
every shoulder was peeled : yet had he no wages, nor his 
army for Tyrus for the service that he had served against 
it.” The meaning of this is, though he destroyed the 
city, he found no treasures there adequate to compensate 
him for his long and expensive siege. The treasures of 
the inhabitants had been removed by them to that part of 
the city built upon the island, half a-mile from the main 
land. There they were safe and beyond the reach of 
Nebuchadnezzar with his implements of war. In view of 
such fact it is added, “therefore, thus saith the Lord God; 
behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadnez- 
zar, king of Babylon, and he shall take her multitude, and 
take her spoil, and take her prey, and it shall be the 
wages of his army. I have given him the land of Egypt 
for his labor, wherewith he served against it, (Tyrus,) be- 
cause they wrought for me saith the Lord.” — Ezek. 29 : 
17-20. 

As all the gold, and the silver, and the precious things, 
14 


314 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


as well as all men and nations belong to God, lie alone 
lias the absolute and perfect right to dispose of them ac- 
cording to his righteous pleasure ; to take them from one 
and give them to another. In the consequent destruction 
of life, lie may as properly use the sword, as the plague, 
the onsets of wicked kings, as “ the pestilence that walk- 
eth in darkness, and the destruction that wasteth at noon- 
day.” These, as well as war, come of sin. He may there- 
fore allow one wicked, ambitious king, to make war upon 
another wicked, plundering king, and take from him the 
treasures he has violently taken from others. This is 
measure for measure, which he applies to nations whose 
penalties must be endured in this life. 


RESPITE AND RUIN. 

Just here, in the order of history, comes in the perfect 
fulfillment of a most singular prediction made by Isaiah, 
23 : 15, 16 : “ And it shall come to pass in that day, that 
Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the 
days of one king. After the end of seventy years shall 
Tyre sing as an harlot. Take an harp, go about the city, 
thou harlot that hast been forgotten ; make sweet melody, 
sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered. ’ ’ For- 
gotten by the ambitious, covetous nations, but not for- 
gotten of God. This long respite gave Tyre full time for 
repentance and reformation. The memory of the past 
wrought no godly sorrow. The Tyrians, full of enter- 
prise, recovered from their desolation, and Tyre again 
became a flourishing emporium for all the nations. Zech- 
ariah 9:3, 4, says, “And Tyrus did build herself a 
stronghold, and heaped up silver as the dust, and fine 
gold as the mire of the street.” Still the foretelling is 
renewed. “Behold, the Lord will cast her out, and he 
will smite her power in the sea, (island city,) and she shall 
be devoured with fire.” 


PROUD TYRE. 


315 


When God told her to take an harp and go about the 
city, and make sweet music, and sing songs, it is signifi- 
cantly added, “that thou mayest be remembered.” This 
joyfulness over her great prosperity was to attract the at- 
tention and kindle into fierce activity the cupidity and 
ambition of the nations. The time of which Isaiah, 23 : 6, 
spake is at hand. “Howl ye inhabitants of the isle.” 
“And in their wailing they shall take up a lamentation 
for thee, and lament over thee, saying, what city is like 
Tyrus, like the destroyed in the midst of the sea.” — Ezek. 
27 : 32. “They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou 
slialt die the death of them that are slain in the midst of 
the seas.” — Ezek. 28 : 8. How certainly these foretellings 
point to the destruction of the insular city, esteemed by 
the Tyrians, as impregnable, and therefore the ground of 
their confidence. 

The swift messenger, the rod in the hand of the Lord, 
is moving on. That invincible conqueror, who wept that 
there was not another world to conquer, is at hand. 
When Alexander the Great, in his conquering progress, 
came into the vicinity of Tyre, he expressed the desire to 
enter and survey the city. # Being suspicious of his mo- 
tive, the Tyrians promptly peremptorily refused. Exas- 
perated at this refusal he resolved to take the city and 
thus humble these proud ‘ ‘ merchant princes. ’ ’ His army 
soon overcame and destroyed that portion of the city on 
the main land which had been restored. The great body 
of the citizens, with their wealth, were in that portion 
which was built upon the island. As they had ships, and 
as Alexander had none, they felt confident of their safety, 
and scornfully defied his power. As they had open com- 
munications with other lands by means of their ships, 
there was no hope of their being reduced by starvation. 
As things then stood it was impracticable to besiege this 
insular city. Alexander now determined to build a mole 
or causeway* two hundred feet broad* from the main land 


816 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


to the island, a distance of half a mile. In this way, and 
only in this way, could he bring his army and his engines 
of war to bear upon the city. In this work he employed 
his forces for seven months. The materials necessary for 
such a work were immense. A large portion was near 
at hand in the ruins of the old city. These he gathered 
up and cast them into the sea. He thus, unwittingly, ful- 
filled a peculiar prediction. “ They shall lay thy stones, 
and thy timber, and thy dust in the midst of the water.” — 
Ezek. 26 : 12. 

Having finished this great military work, he moved on 
his vast army with their destructive engines of war, and 
soon became the master of this island city. In addition 
to the multitudes slain in the defense, he crucified two 
thousand of his prisoners and sold thirty thousand into 
slavery. It wall be remembered, that mercantile cupidity 
induced the Tyrians to buy Hebrew captives from their 
enemies and sell them as slaves to the Greeks and Edom- 
ites. How, retributive justice, a vital principle in God’s 
government of nations, stands out. Alexander, in selling 
sixty thousand Tyrians into slavery, but fulfilled the pre- 
diction of Joel 3 : 7, 8. “Behold, I will raise them out 
of the place whither ye have sold them, and will return 
your recompense upon your own head : and I will sell 
your sons and your daughters into the land of the chil- 
dren of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans, 
to a people far off : for the Lord hath spoken it.” And 
Amos 1 : 9, 10, also “Thus saith the Lord : for three trans- 
gressions of Tyras, and for four I will not turn away the 
punishment thereof ; because they delivered up the whole 
captivity to Edom, and remembered not the brotherly 
covenant: but I will send a fire on the wall of Tyrus, 
which shall devour the palaces thereof.” This voice of 
fire by Amos, and another by Zechariah 9:4. “ Behold, 
the Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her power 
in the sea; and she shall be devoured with fire,” was 


PROUD TYRE. 


317 


most literally fulfilled. When the barbarities and the 
spoilings of the riches and the prey of the merchandise 
were ended, then he set fire to the city and left the 
smouldering ruins as the monument of his triumph. 

The prophet, with graphic vividness, describes the 
amazement and the lamentations of the shipmen, who, 
having left the city in its pride and glory, as “ the crown- 
ing city,” on their return from their three years’ voyages, 
find it an utter ruin. ‘ 6 And they shall take up a lamen- 
tation for thee, and say to thee, how art thou destroyed, 
that was inhabited of seafaring men, the renowned city, 
which was strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants which 
cause their terror to be on all that haunt it.” — Ezek. 26 : 
17. 

The destruction of the city on the main-land was abso- 
lute and total, so that the very site is wiped out. The 
city on the island, though burnt and left in fearful ruin, 
to some extent revived. But the new city of Alexandria, 
in Egypt, at one of the mouths of the Nile, founded by 
Alexander the Great, became the chief mart of commerce, 
and prevented the future success of Tyre. 

The Rev. Thomas Newton, D. D., in his Dissertations 
on Prophecies, intimates that the Tyrians abandoned their 
idolatry, and became converts to the true religion. He 
quotes, as prophetic of this, the words of Psalm 45 : 12 : 
“The daughter of Tyre shall be there with gifts.” Also, 
Psalm 72 : 10: “the kings of Tarshish and of the isles 
shall bring presents.” Also Zech. 9:7: “but he that 
remaineth, even he, shall be for our God.” In confirma- 
tion of this we have these records in the New Testament : 
Luke 6 : 17, “And he came down with them, and stood 
in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great 
multitude of people out of all Judea and Jerusalem, and 
from the sea-coast of Tyre and Zidon, which came to hear 
him, and to be healed of their diseases.” Matt. 15 : 21, 
and Mark 7: 24, “And from thence he arose and went 


318 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


into the borders of Tyre and Zidon.” Here he heals the 
daughter of a certain “ woman, a Greek, a Syroplioenician 
by nation.” In Acts 21 : 3, we read that Paul, on his way 
to Koine, “ landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to un- 
lade her burden. And finding disciples, we tarried there 
seven days.” This is evidence fhat Christian converts 
were living in Tyre. Eusibius, in his ecclesiastical history, 
bears honorable testimony to the steadfastness of the 
Tyrian Christians during Dioclesian’ s persecutions. It is 
cheering to find even a remnant turned from their idolatry 
to the worship of the one living and true God, the Creator 
and Sustainer of all worlds. 

The edict had gone forth, and nothing could stay the 
destroyer. In successive centuries, Tyre fell into the hands 
of diverse conquering powers. The mole built by Alex- 
ander the Great, prevented it from being any longer an 
insular city. It made it more accessable for assaults, and 
under these it wasted away. 


CAUSE OF RUIN. 

The Scripture history furnishes the hidden, but real 
cause of the downfall and extinction of nations. Whilst 
sin is the generic cause, still there are some forms which 
are so offensive and corrupting as to place communities 
beyond the reach of reformation. This, on the most be- 
nevolent principles, demands their extinction. In the 
case of Tyre, the record is, “Son of man, say unto the 
prince of Tyrus, thus saith the Lord God ; because thine 
heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a god, I sit 
in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas, yet thou art 
a man, and not God, though thou hast set thine heart as 
the heart of God.” “Thine heart was lifted up because 
of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason 
of thy brightness : I will cast thee to the ground ; I will 


PROUD TYRE. 


319 


lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”— Ezek. 
28 : 2 and 17. Pride was the distinguishing ingredient. 
But pride is a cumulative sin. It is the outgrowth of 
other meannesses, and stands out as their head and front. 
Hence £ 4 Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty 
spirit before a fall.” — Prov. 16 : 18. It can only work 
towards corruption, and the undermining of all moral 
safeguards. 44 The wicked in his pride doth persecute 
the poor.” — Ps. 10 : 2. 4 4 The wicked, through the pride 

of his countenance, will not seek after God.”— Ps. 10 : 4. 
44 Pride compasseth them about as a chain.” — Ps. 73 : 6. 
The wealth of Tyre was its power, and this under the con- 
trol of unsanctified ambition advanced them rapidly in 
wickedness. In their pride and haughtiness, they rej oiced 
in the troubles and miseries of Jerusalem, saying, aha, 
and they sold her captive people into slavery. They so 
progressed in pride, that they claimed to sit as God, thus 
throwing off all responsibility to a higher power. Thor- 
oughly corrupted, they were ripe for destruction. So it 
was with Sodom. 4 4 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy 
sister, Sodom : pride, fullness of head, and abundance of 
idleness was in her, and in her daughters, neither did she 
strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they 
were haughty, and committed abominations before me: 
therefore I took them away as I saw good.” — Ezek. 16 : 
49, 50. The disentombed cities of Pompeii and Hercula- 
neum disclose, not only the evidences of their abounding 
wealth and luxury, but also of their terrible proficiency 
in polluting crimes. The pictorial adornments of their 
houses were such as to demonstrate that they had passed 
beyond the reach or influence of shame. The pictures, 
preserved in the musea seer eta, or secret museum, show, 
that for the same sin that Sodom and Gomorrah were 
blotted out by the rain of fire and brimstone, were those 
cities of Italy buried beneath the belchings forth from the 
mountain of fire. So Rome, when virtuous and frugal, 


320 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


conquered the world, and became its mistress. By the 
wealth of conquest she became corrupted, her luxuries 
enervated her ; crime, with pride and ambition, dominating, 
undermined all moral principle, made her weak. She 
fell by drinking deeply of her own poisoned chalice. 

This is what I most fear for my own much loved coun- 
try ; that our increase in wealth and luxury, will so stim- 
ulate our pride and feeling of independence, that we 
shall advance in crime, abjure God, and the wholesome 
restraints of his law. Unless the Spirit of God is so 
poured out as to purify and elevate the moral tone of 
the people, and so sanctify the growing wealth, that it 
shall not minister only to pride and luxury, and power, 
but to that which is of good report, I fear that the disci- 
plinary rod will be laid upon us with severity. It be- 
comes then, the duty and the interest of every patriot and 
lover of his country, as well as every lover of Zion, to 
implore God to open the windows of heaven, and to pour 
out such measures of the Spirit, and in such resistless 
power, as to sanctify this whole nation, and make it a 
willing people unto the Lord. 


TESTIMONIALS. 

Pliny, who wrote in the first century, after relating how 
great Tyre had been, and that its ruins were nineteen 
miles in circuit, adds, “ at this day, all its nobility con- 
sists in oystqrs and purple.” “Travelers of every suc- 
ceeding century, describe it as a heap of ruins, broken 
arches and vaults, tottering walls and towers, with a few 
starveling wretches housing amid the rubbish.*’ — Kitto. 

When Maundrel, the traveler, in 1694, visited Tyre, 
says, “ you see nothing here, but a mere babel of broken 
walls, pillars, vaults, &c., there being not so much as one 
entire house left. Its present inhabitants are only a few 


PROUD TYRE. 


321 


poor wretches, harboring themselves in the vaults, and 
subsisting chiefly upon fishing, who seem to be preserved 
in this place by divine providence, as a visible argument 
how God has fulfilled his word concerning Tyre, viz., that 
it should be as the top of a rock, a place for fishers to dry 
their nets on.” In 1738, the testimony of Pococke is, “it 
contained only two or three Christian families, and a few 
other inhabitants.” In 1766, a part of the peninsular was 
walled in, and called Sur, after its original Hebrew name. 
It still remains. It is a miserable place, its harbor, being 
so shallow, as only to be navigable for boats, and it is 
every year filling up with washings from the sea. 

Our own countryman, Rev. Edward Robinson, D.D., 
LL. D., who spent a Sabbath there in 1838, says, in his 
Biblical Researches, Yol. Ill, page 395. “I continued 
my walk along the shore of the peninsula, part of which 
is now unoccupied, except as a place to spread nets upon, 
musing upon the pride and fall of ancient Tyre. Here 
was the little isle, once covered by her palaces, and sur- 
rounded by her fleets ; but alas ! thy riches and thy fame, 
thy merchandise, thy mariners, and thy pilots, thy caulk- 
ers, and the occupiers of thy merchandise that were in 
thee — where are they % Tyre, has indeed become like the 
top of a rock. The sole tokens of her more ancient splen- 
dor — columns of red and grey granite, sometimes forty 
or fifty heaped together ; or marble pillars lie broken and 
strewed beneath the waves in the midst of the sea ; and 
the hovels that now nestle upon a portion of her site, pre- 
sents no contradiction to the dread decree, ‘ thou shalt 
be built no more.’ ” 


TEACHINGS. 

The value of secular history is, that its records of the 
past may warn or encourage the future. It is with this 


322 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


end that it should be carefully studied. But the greater 
value of sacred history is, that it gives unerringly the 
causes which have either ennobled or degraded the na- 
tions. When the predictions, in the Scriptures are ful- 
filled and recorded in secular history, it unrols and makes 
plain the principles upon which God treats nations. 

That God is the absolute, wise and benevolent ruler, is 
impressively taught in his dealings with the Tyrians. 
His predictions of their ruin were not uttered, until they 
had fearfully advanced in moral degradation. To accom- 
plish his words against Tyre, he brought forward the 
Assyrian and Macedonian kings, as well as other nation- 
alities, until all his foretellings of wrath were made good. 
The one question before the divine mind, and which set- 
tles the destiny of nations is this, what is their moral con- 
dition ! If they have become so corrupt that all means 
of chastisement and discipline fail to reclaim them to 
right and virtue, then, lest they should continue only as 
a corrupting element, justice, which is only one form of 
benevolence, demands their extinction, Then they are 
either ‘ ‘ wiped as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it and turn- 
ing it upside down.” — 2 Kings 21 : 13, or “ dashed in 
pieces like a potter’s vessel.” — Ps. 2 : 9. 

States thrive or wither as moons wax or wane, 

E'en os his will and his decree ordain ; 

While honor, virtue, piety bear sway, 

They flourish;' and as these decline decay.” — Cowper. 


Another principle, in the divine government of nations, 
is the employment of the wicked nations in punishing 
each other. Did not God bring up Nebuchadnezzar 
against Tyre to punish it % And for his long service of 
thirteen years against it sent him to Egypt for his reward ? 
As all property, whether of gold or silver, or the cattle up- 
on a thousand hills, are his, he may justly give it to whom- 


PROUD TYRE. 


323 


soever lie pleases. Tyre was wicked, Nebuchadnezzar 
was wicked, Egypt was wicked, and all being subjects of 
his government, he used them to punish each other. So 
he has told us “ 0 Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and 
the staff in their hand is mine indignation, I will send 
him against an hypocritical nation, and against the peo- 
ple of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil 
and to take the prey, and to tread down like the mire of 
the streets. Howbeit he meaneth not so, (to fulfill God’s 
purpose,) neither doth his heart think so ; but it is in his 
heart to destroy and cut off nations not a few.” — Isa. 10 : 
5-7. When Salmanezer, king of Assyria, came against 
Tyre, it was not to do the will of God, for of this he knew 
nothing, but to seize upon the wealth he coveted. When 
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, with the persistency of 
thirteen years, besieged Tyre, it was that he might obtain 
the treasures stored there. When Alexander the Great 
completed the ruin of Tyre, it was not that he might carry 
out the divine plan, but that he might execute his own 
ambitious schemes of conquest and aggrandizement. It 
does not follow because God, who thus uses these rulers 
for the punishment of the wicked, that he does not hate 
the vile motive, for which they are personally responsi- 
ble, which urged them on. As their motive was evil and 
selfish, so it subjects them to the anger of the Lord, and in 
due time their punishment will come. “ Wherefore it 
shall come to pass, that when the Lord hath performed 
his whole work upon Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I 
will punish the fruit of the stout heart of the king of 
Assyria and the glory of his high looks.” — Isa. 10 : 12. 
God regards these as his instrumental agents, as doing 
his service, just as fire and hail, and vapors, and stormy 
wind fulfilling his word.” — Ps. 148 : 8. So he delares of 
Nebuchadnezzar: u Shall the axe boast itself against 
him that heweth therewith ? or shall the saw magnify it- 
self against him that shaketh it? as if the rod should 


324 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff 
should lift up itself, as if it were no wood.” — Isa. 10 : 14. 
“ Thou art my battle-axe and weapon of war : for with 
thee I will break in pieces the nations, and with thee 
will I destroy kingdoms.” — Jer. 51 : 20. 

This illustration must be received with this difference. 
The saw, the axe, and the staff being only material, are 
passive ; but the rulers being men, with a governing will, 
carry out their own plans, and are responsible for their 
actions. That God, through their voluntary and self- 
moved activities, carries out his own purpose, only proves 
that freedom on the part of man, and sovereignty on the 
part of God, are compatible. 

How comforting to all men who will receive it, is the 
assurance that God rules among the nations. “I am 
God, and there is none else ; I am God, and there is none 
like me. Declaring the end from the beginning, and from 
ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying, 
my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure.” — 
Isa. 47 : 9, 10. Confidence must rest in his character, in 
his unchangeable wisdom and benevolence, in his deter- 
mination to stand by the right, and to punish the wrong. 
He has his own plans, which, though they are insensible 
to our short-sightedness, are still laid in wisdom. They 
include all time, and all the generations of men. His 
benevolence makes it certain that his plans will work 
out the greatest amount of good consistent with the con- 
dition of this fallen world. In the prosecution of his 
plan, he has shown what his mind is towards sinful na- 
tions. He has blotted out strong empires, when they 
have passed beyond the reach of reformatory agencies. 
And thus will he continue to act. No power, either of 
earth or hell, or of both combined, can prevent it, or even 
throw an impediment in his way. 


HAUGHTY BABYLON. 


Prophecy and History 


HAUGHTY BABYLON. 


PROPHECY AND HISTORY. 


Babylon stands boldly out on the pages of both sacred 
and secular history. The Scriptures recognize its anti- 
quity, its beauty, and its strength. In the book of Gene- 
sis, the plain on which it is built, is spoken of under the 
name of Shinar. So Daniel also calls it. Other Scrip- 
tures name it Chaldea, or the land of the Chaldeans. 
From secular historians we learn that Babylon was the 
metropolis, or capital city, of the province of Babylon, 
and of the Babylonia Chaldean Empire. 4 4 The first rise 
of the Chaldean power was in the region close upon the 
Persian Gulf; thence, the nation spread north, up the 
course of the rivers, and the seat of government moved in 
the same direction, being finally fixed at Babylon, per- 
haps not earlier than 1700, B.C.” — Smith’s Dictionary. 

Nebuchadnezzar, who lived 600 years B.C., said, “Is 
not this great Babylon, that I have built, for the house 
of the kingdom, by the might of my power, and for the 
honor of my majesty.” — Dan. 4 : 30. He did not found 
that city. It existed, as a city, from early antiquity. 
He did, however, employ his vast resources in its exten- 
sion, improvement, and aggrandisement. “The Greek 
writers refer to two queens, Semiramis, who lived before 
him, and Nitocris, who was after him. But, on the other 
hand, the native historian, Berosus, together with Megas- 
thenese and Alydenus, expressly attribute them to this 


HAUGHTY BABYLON. 


327 


great monarch ; and moreover, it would seem that Nito- 
cris, whom some make the queen of Nebuchadnezzar, and 
others, the wife of his son Evilmerodach, merely comple- 
ted the great works which he had begun.” — Pictorial 
Bible. By Daniel, 4: 30, it is called “ great Babylon.” 
By Isaiah, 13 : 19, “ the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of 
Chaldee’s excellency;” again, Isa. 14: 4, “the golden 
city,” and Isa. 47 : 5, “ the lady of kingdoms.” By Jere- 
miah, 51 : 41, “the praise of the whole earth.” 

From the historian Herodotus, we learn that Babylon 
was built on both sides of the river Euphrates, which en- 
tered the city on the north, and left it at the south, and 
divided it into two nearly equal parts. These portions 
were connected in the center of the city by a bridge sixty 
feet wide. At each end of this bridge was a royal palace. 
The old palace was on the east side, and the new one on 
the west. Besides this, there was a large tunnel under 
the river, which connected these palaces. The city was a 
vast square, inclosed on all sides with a double wall. 
The outer one was 87 feet thick, and 350 feet high. Quin- 
tus Curtius says, four horse chariots, (four abreast,) could 
pass each other on them without danger. This wall was 
built of brick, made of clay, dug out from the moat 
around the city, baked in a furnace, and cemented with 
hot bitumen. 4 ‘ In this wall there were one hundred gates, 
twenty -five on each side, of solid brass, and of prodigious 
size and strength. Besides this, there were in the wall, 
lining the river, inside the city, smaller gates of the same 
metal, from which steps conducted down to the stream. 
Between every two of the principle gates, there were 
three watch towers, ten feet higher than the walls, with 
four such towers at each of the four angles of the wall ; 
and three more between each of these angles, and the next 
adjoining gate on each side. There were, however, but 
250 towers in all, as they were omitted on that side where 
the morasses rendered unnecessary the protection which 


328 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


they offered.” — Pictorial Bible. From each gate there 
was a street 151 feet wide, and 15 miles long, which di- 
vided the city into 626 squares. The streets intersected 
each other at right angles. Outside and around these 
walls, was a deep ditch, lined with brick work, and filled 
with water. 

There is some discrepancy among the ancient historians 
respecting the circumference of the city. Heredotus, 
Pliny, and Solinus make it 480 furlongs, that is, 120 fur- 
longs on each side, which would make it 60 miles in cir- 
cumference. Strabo makes it 385, Curtius 368, Clitarch- 
us 365, and Diodorus 360. The lowest statement would 
make the circumference 45 miles. This discrepancy may 
be reconciled by supposing that they made their measure- 
ments from different points. Some included the great 
ditch, others around the outside wall. Others within the 
inner of the two walls. Taking the lowest estimate the 
walls inclose an immense tract of land. This was not 
covered with buildings. There were splendid edifices, 
magnificent and extended gardens, both hanging and on 
the surface, as also the celebrated temple of Belus. 

Such, in brief, for elegance and strength was Babylon, 
the magnificent capital of the Chaldean Empire, then hav- 
ing universal dominion. That such a city should be over- 
thrown and utterly wasted seemed altogether an improb- 
able event. It was the most perfectly fortified of any 
city then known, and might well bid defiance to all the 
implements of warfare then in use. The inhabitants felt 
themselves to be secure, and each successive ruler gloried 
in the fact that his royal city was impregnable. But all 
her greatness and her power could not save her when the 
stern voice of prophecy proclaimed her doom. 

PROPHECIES. 

The prophet Isaiah, who lived more than seven hundred 


HAUGHTY BABYLOH. 


329 


years before Christ, under the power of inspiration, spake 
these terrible words. “ And Babylon the glory of king- 
doms, the beauty of the Chaldees excellency, shall be as 
when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall 
never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from gen- 
eration to generation : neither shall the Arabian pitch 
tent there : neither shall the shepherds make their fold 
there. But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there : and 
their houses shall be full of doleful creatures, and owls 
shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there. And the 
wild beasts of the islands shall cry in their desolate 
houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces : and her 
time is near to come, and her days shall not be prolong- 
ed.” — Isa. 13 : 19-22. This is a most fearful inventory 
of particulars, a piling up of items, each seemingly more 
intense than its preceding one, but all gathering like a 
lurid cloud, foretelling gloom-darkness and utter ruin. 

Yet again from the same prophet. “ Thus saith the 
Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have 
holden, (strengthened), to subdue nations before him : and 
I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two 
leaved gates, and the gates shall not be shut. I will go 
before thee, and make the crooked places straight : I will 
break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the 
bars of iron : and I will give thee the treasures of dark- 
ness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest 
know that I, the Lord, which call thee by name, am the 
God of Israel.” — Isa. 45 : 1-2. Yet other tidings of ruin 
has this same prophet set forth which we may notice in 
the following pages. The predictions which I have quoted 
are very definite and minutely particular,— beyond the 
possibility of any human intellect to have foreseen. 

Isaiah is not alone in his foretellings. Jeremiah, who 
lived about six hundred years before Christ, confirms 
generally what his earlier brother prophet had said, and 
adds sundry new items. “And it shall come to pass, 


330 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish 
the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, 
for thine iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and 
will make it perpetual desolations. ” — Jeremiah 25 : 12. 
“ The word that the Lord spake against Babylon, and 
against the land of the Chaldeans, declare ye among the 
nations, and publish, and set up a standard ; publish and 
conceal not. Say, Babylon is taken, Bel is confounded, 
Merodach is broken in pieces ; her idols are confounded, 
her images are broken in pieces. For out of the north 
there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make 
her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein.” — Jer. 
50 : 1-3. W ere all these foretellings carried out ? His- 
tory, impartial history, must tell us. Herodotus and 
Xenophon will be the recorders of the results. 


TIME OF THE PREDICTION. 

There are a few items within the reach of most, which 
settle the questions, when were they uttered, and when 
fulfilled? In the first chapter of Isaiah we read, “that 
Isaiah, the son of Amos, prophecied in the days of Uzziah, 
Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” It must 
have been in the reign of one of these that he delivered 
his foretellings against Babylon. Uzziah began his reign 
806 B. C., and died 758 B. C. Jotham died 742 B. C. 
Ahaz died 727 B. C., and Hezekiah died 710 B. C. We 
read from Prideaux and other authorities, that Babylon 
was taken by Cyrus 536 B. C. If the prediction was given 
at the close of Uzziah’ s reign, the fulfillment wms 222 years 
after the foretelling. If in Jotham’ s, 206 years. If in 
Ahaz’ s, 191 years, and if in Hezekiah’ s, 174 years. 

There is another source of evidence. Jeremiah 25 : 11, 
12 : “And these nations, (Jews and neighboring nations), 
shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it 


HAUGHTY BABYLON. 


331 


shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, 
that I will punish the king of Babylon and the land of 
the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.” 
Look at the figures. Hezekiah died 710 B. C. The Jews 
were carried captives into Babylon 586 B. C. This makes 
an interval between these dates of 124 years. Add the 
seventy years of captivity, and it brings us to 194 years 
as the time between the uttering of the prophecy and its 
fulfillment. 

Additional proof is found in the statement by Daniel 
5 : 30. “In that night was Belshazzar the king of the 
Chaldeans slain.” Hezekiah died 710 B. C. Daniel’s 
record w r as 536 B. G., this gives 174 years between the ut- 
tering and the fulfilling of the prophecy. Thus, by these 
independent calculations, we are brought to the same con- 
clusion. These have reference to the taking of Babylon 
by Cyrus. He did not utterly destroy the city, but re- 
duced it to a dependency. He obliged the Babylonians 
to deliver up their arms and to pay a heavy tribute. 

‘ 4 And thus indeed says Herodotus, Babylon was taken 
for the first time. ’ ’ After this, though it continued, it never 
attained to its former strength and splendor. 

The prophets gave the predictions. The historians, 
Herodotus and Xenophon have given the exact fulfill- 
ment. Isaiah lived two hundred and fifty years before 
Herodotus, and two hundred and fifty years before Xeno- 
phon. So there could be no possible collusion between the 
prophets and the historians. The historians were neither 
Jews, nor sympathizers with them, or their religion. 
They were idolators, but faithful men in recording the 
events of which they had knowledge. With these pre- 
liminaries settled, we are now prepared to examine the 
detailed items of the prophecies. 


FIRST CONQUEST. 

Propiiet: “Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media.” — Isa. 


332 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


21 : 2. Elam was the ancient name of Persia, and Media 
means the Medes. Again, ‘ ‘ the Lord hath raised np the 
spirit of the king of the Medes ; for his device is against 
Babylon to destroy it.” — Jer. 51 : 11. Here, two nations 
are designated. 

History tells ns that the Medes and the Persians nnder 
Cyrus, came and besieged, and conquered Babylon. 

Prophet: “Thus saith the Lord to his anointed to 
Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden (strengthened) to 
subdue nations before him ; and I will loose the loins of 
kings to open before him the two-leaved gates of brass.” 
— Isa. 45 : 1. This prediction was uttered more than one 
hundred years before Cyrus was born, yet he is specific- 
ally named as the conqueror of Babylon. 

History : “ Herodotus and Xenophon, state that Cy- 
rus was the son of Cambysis, prince of Persia, and of 
Mandane, daughter of Astyages, king of the Median em- 
pire.” He was a great and successful warrior. He sub- 
dued the Lybians, the Greeks of Asia Minor, and the 
Babylonians. This last conquest was 538 B. C., being 
one hundred and seventy-four years after the prophecy. 

Prophet: “ The mighty men of Babylon have forborne 
to fight, they have remained in their holds ; their might 
hath failed ; they became as women.” — Jer. 51 : 30. 

History : Xenophon narrates, that after the Babylo- 
nians had lost one or two battles outside the walls, they 
never recovered their courage so as again to face the ene- 
my in the open field. When Cyrus came with his army 
before the city, he could not provoke them to come out 
from behind their walls, and engage in battle. Nor could 
he induce the king to meet him for a single personal con- 
flict. Finding it hopeless to draw them out from behind 
their high and broad walls, he consulted with his officers 
upon the best plan for laying and carrying on the siege. 

Prophet: “That saith to the deep, be dry, and I will 
dry up thy rivers : that saith to Cyrus, he is my shep- 


HAUGHTY BABYL0H. 


333 


herd, and perform all my pleasure.” — Isa. 44 : 27, 28. 
“ A drought is upon her waters, and they shall be dried 
up.” — Jer. 50: 38. “And I will dry up her sea, and 
make her springs dry.” — Jer. 51 : 36. It was not among 
the ranges of probabilities that the great river Euphrates, 
which ran through the city from north to south, should, 
even for a limited period, become dry. It formerly, by 
reason of the melting of the snow upon the mountains, 
overflowed its banks, but never was known to be dried up. 
Xenophon says, it was more than a quarter of a mile wide, 
and full twelve feet deep. In addition to this unfailing 
supply of water, and the large tracts of arable land with- 
in the walls, Herodotus says, “they had massive stores 
of provisions for many years.” “They had necessaries 
for more than twenty years.” With such provisions, to 
reduce the city by starvation, was impracticable. To cross 
the immense ditch, twelve feet deep, filled with water, and 
attempt to batter down those high and broad walls was 
hopeless. 

History: Cyrus did take Babylon. And the way he 
did it was most singular, and marks his character for 
strategy. When the city was building, in order to pre- 
vent any inconvenience from the swelling of the Euphrates, 
two canals were cut from that river, at a considerable dis- 
tance above the town, which carried off the superabundant 
waters into the river Tigris. From the place where these 
canals commenced, down the sides of the river, both above 
and below the city, immense banks were constructed, to 
confine the stream more effectually within its canals, and 
thus to prevent all danger of an inundation. In order to 
facilitate the construction of these works, an immense lake 
was dug on the west side of Babylon, about forty miles 
square, and thirty-five feet deep, into which the river was 
turned by a broad canal, till the banks were completed. 
The river was then restored to its natural course. In the 
lapse of years these canals, having served their original 


334 


BIBLE PBINCIPLES. 


purpose, were abandoned, and became obstructed. Cyrus, 
having surveyed the territory, resolved to re-open one of 
these canals, and thus turn aside the current of the river 
into the artificial lake previously dug. He dug large 
trenches around the city. He also cut a passage below 
the city, from the river to these trenches. Thus the sup- 
ply of river water from above was cut off, and the water 
from the great ditch was drained. It was in this way 
that the Euphrates was dried up, and the prophecy ful- 
filled. 

Prophet: “ I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art 
also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware : thou art 
found and also caught, because thou hast striven against 
the Lord. 5 5 — Jer. 50 : 24. “ In their heat I will make their 

feasts, and I will make them drunken, that they may re- 
joice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the 
Lord.” — Jer. 51 : 39. “And I will make drunk her 
princes, an d her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, 
and her mighty men : and they shall sleep a perpetual 
sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the 
Lord of Hosts.” — Jer. 51 : 57. “I will loose the loins of 
kings, to open before him (Cyrus) the two-leaved gates; 
and the gates shall not be shut.” — Isa. 45 : 1. Such is the 
voice of prophecy. 

History answers, that Cyrus, having learned that a great 
festival was soon to be celebrated in the city, and that on 
such occasions it was customary with the Babylonians to 
spend the night in drunkenness and debauchery, he siezed 
upon that occasion to consummate his plans. He stationed 
a portion of his troops on the north, close by where the 
Euphrates entered the city. Another detachment he post- 
ed on the south, at the place where the river went out of the 
city, with orders to march along the channel the moment 
they found it fordable. He detached a third party to 
open the canal, called Pallacopas, which discharged the 
water of the river into the great artificial lake, and into 


HAUGHTY BABYLON. 


335 


the marshes south-west of the city. Having thus ar- 
ranged his forces for prompt and energetic action, he 
waited and watched for the supreme moment when the 
festive revelry was intense. 

In addition to the high and broad wall which surround- 
ed the city, there were also walls within the city, on each 
bank of the river, with gates at the end of each street. It 
was the custom to have all these gates carefully closed 
every night. It so happened, in the revelry and drunken- 
ness of that night, these gates were left open, so that there 
was access to every part of the city, not excepting the pal- 
ace of the king. Cyrus, vigilant and prompt, on that 
night ordered the canal to be opened, which turned the 
water of the river into the lake. His troops from the 
north and the south rushed along the channel way in 
through the many gates, and, to the amazement and con- 
sternation of the drunken, bewildered citizens, possessed 
the city. 

Concerning this bold and dangerous movement, Hero- 
dotus says, “If the Babylonians had heard or perceived 
before hand what had been done by Cyrus, they would 
not have suffered him to enter, but would have put them 
to the most dreadful destruction. For by shutting all 
the sally-ports that led to the river, and mounting the 
rampart, and standing on the banks, they would have 
caught as in a trap, his soldiers as they came forward. 

How very remarkable that these gates, at other times 
so carefully closed, should for this one night be left open. 
Had not that single prediction been fulfilled, the inevi- 
table consequence would have been the destruction of the 
army of Cyrus, and Babylon in her pride would have 
vanquished the conqueror of many nations. The omnis- 
cient G-od had proclaimed “the gates shall not be shut.” 
Only an omniscient being could, more than a hundred 
years before the event transpired, have pointed out that 
on that particular night, these gates should not be shut, 


336 


BIBLE PEINCIPLES. 


and that Cyrus should thus find an unobstructed entrance 
to the city. It was by drying the channel of the river, 
and through these open gates, that Babylon was taken by 
Cyrus 536 years B. C. 

It is a fact worthy of notice that when the prophets 
told of the destruction of Babylon by the Medo Persian 
empire, that kingdom was quite in its infancy and more 
likely to be trodden down and annihilated by the all-con- 
quering Babylonian empire, than to be conquered. But 
in nearly two centuries it had grown by conquests to be 
a mighty power on the earth, adequate to humble and 
ruin Babylon the Great. 


SECOND CONQUEST. 

Cyrus did not destroy the city. Xenophon states that 
he obliged the Babylonians to deliver up all their arms up- 
on pain of death, — that he gave their best houses to his offi- 
cers, that he put them under a heavy tribute, — that he 
left a strong garrison and compelled the citizens to meet 
its expenses. His purpose was to keep them poor as the 
easiest way to keep them in subjection. But notwith- 
standing this degradation, from an imperial and inde- 
pendent to a dependent and tributary city, they in the 
lapse of years rebelled. 

As Cyrus did not fill up all that was written against 
Babylon, other agents and forces are brought forward. 
Darius Hystaspes appears with his army and besieges 
the city. 

Prophet: “Thou saidst, I shall be a lady forever: so 
that thou didst not lay these things to thy heart ; neither 
didst remember the latter end of it. Therefore hear now 
this, thou that art given to pleasure, that dwellest care- 
lessly, that sayest in thine heart, I am, and none else be- 
side me ; I shall not sit as a widow, neither shall I know 


HAUGHTY BABYLOH. 


337 


tlie loss of children : but these two things shall come to thee 
in a moment, in one day, the loss of children and widow- 
hood : they shall come upon thee in their perfection for 
the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abun- 
dance of thine enchantments.” — Isa. 47 : 7-9. 

History : The siege was commenced and prosecuted 
with spirited resolution. The Babylonians determined 
to hold out to the very last extremity, and adopted the 
desperate resolution “ of putting to death every woman 
in the city, with the exception of their mothers and one 
female, the best beloved in every family. These were re- 
tained for the baking of their bread.” The design of de- 
stroying the females was to husband their supplies and 
protract the siege. Thus, in the most literal manner, the 
proj)hecy was fulfilled by their own voluntary act. 

Prophet: “I have laid a snare for thee, and thou art 
also taken, O Babylon, and thou wast not aware ; thou 
art found and also caught.” — Jer. 50 : 24. 

History : The siege was sustained for twenty months, 
with no sign of yielding. The city, however, was taken 
by a most remarkable stratagem. Zopyrus, one of the 
chief nobles of Persia, having mutilated himself by cut- 
ting off his ears and his nose, and having scourged himself 
severely, proposed to Darius, to enter the city as a deserter. 
He would represent that he had been thus cruelly treated 
by Darius. If admitted, he would deliver the city into 
his hands. He was admitted. He so gained the confi- 
dence of those in power, as to be intrusted with a military 
command. He was finally appointed as the guardian of 
the walls. Having obtained his object, he opened the 
gates to the Persian army, and the city was taken with 
out difficulty. 

Prophet: “The broad walls of Babylon shall be utter- 
ly broken.” — Jer. 51 : 58. 

History : Darius leveled the walls, and took away the 
gates. 


15 


338 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


Prophet: “ Behold, I will stir up the Medes against 
them, which shall not regard silver ; and as for gold, they 
shall not delight in it. Their bows, also, shall dash the 
young men to pieces ; and they shall have no pity on the 
fruit of the womb ; their eye shall not spare children.’ ’ — 
Isa. 13 : 17, 18. “They are cruel, and will not shew mer- 
cy.” — Jer. 50: 42. 

History : Among the cruelties practiced, history states 
that Darius ordered three thousand of the most distin- 
guished nobility to be sacrificed. This took place 516 
B. C., or 194 years after the prediction was uttered; 

Prophet: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the 
graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the 
ground.” — Isa. 21 : 9. “Bel boweth down, Nebo stoop- 
eth, their idols were upon the beasts, and upon the cattle ; 
your carriages were heavy loaden ; they are a burden to 
the weary beast.” — Isa. 46: 1. “Babylon is taken, Bel 
is confounded, Merodach is broken in pieces ; her idols 
are confounded, her images are broken in pieces.” — Jer. 
50: 2. 

History : Xerxes destroyed the temples of the city, 
particularly the celebrated temple of Belus. He carried 
away the golden statue which stood in the temple, slay- 
ing the priests who resisted its removal. By plundering 
and destroying the temples and idols, he was restoring a 
portion of the heavy losses he sustained by his disastrous 
expedition into Greece. 

The city was again taken by Alexander the Great, about 
331 B. C. The Persian General in command surrendered 
it into his hands, and ‘ ‘ he entered it with his army, as if 
they were marching to battle.” After this, it was repeat- 
edly taken, and each successive conquest reduced the city 
more and more. 

By Cyrus, the capital of the empire was removed from 
Babylon to Shushan, which became the seat of govern- 
ment, and contributed materially to diminish Babylon. 


HAUGHTY BABYLON. 


339 


Seleucus Nicator founded the city of Seleucia, on the 
river Tigris, in the neighborhood of Babylon, with the 
avowed design of drawing off the inhabitants, and to 
prevent its rising again to importance. A large portion 
of the inhabitants migrated to the new and rival city. 
Under the operation of various causes, Babylon continued 
to decline until it lost all its importance. ‘ ‘ From an im- 
perial, it became a tributary city ; from being governed 
by its own kings, and governing strangers, it came itself 
to be governed by strangers ; and the seat of empire being 
transferred to Shushan, it decayed by degrees, till it was 
reduced at last to utter desolation.” — Newton. 

Prophet: “It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it 
be dwelt in from generation to generation.” — Isa. 13 : 20. 
“And cut off from Babylon the name and remnant, son 
and nephew, saith the Lord.” — Isa. 14 : 22. 

History : At the beginning of the first Christian cen- 
tury only a small part of the ancient city was inhabited, 
the rest being under cultivation. Pliny, in the time of 
the emperor Yesparian, describes its site as “ a desert, and 
the city as dead.” Pausanias, a few years later, said of 
Babylon, “ a greater than which the sun did not formerly 
behold, all that now remains is the temple of Belus, and 
the walls of the city.” In the second century nothing but 
some walls remained. Jerome, in the fourth century, 
says that Babylon was then in ruins, and that the walls 
served only for the enclosure of a park or forest for the 
king’s hunting.” In the twelfth and sixteenth centuries 
it was found, by travelers, in the same deserted and un- 
inhabited condition. Down to the present time travelers 
tell us it is without an inhabitant. 

There are natural causes which render it well nigh cer- 
tain that it never will be inhabited. Mr. Bich, in his 
memoirs, says, “ruins, composed like those of Babylon, 
of heaps of rubbish, impregnated with nitre, cannot be 
cultivated. ” “ The decomposing material of a Babylonian 


340 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


structure, doom the earth on which they perish to lasting 
sterility. On this part of the plain, where traces of build- 
ings are left, and where none stood, all seem equally naked 
of vegetation, the whole ground appearing as if it had been 
washed over and over again by coming and receding 
waters, till every bit of genial soil was swept away ; it is 
x half clay, half sandy surface, being left in ridgy streaks, 
like what is often seen on the flat shores of the sea after 
the retreating tide.” — Sir R. K. Porter. Buckingham, 
in our day, says, “the ground is low and marshy, and 
presents not the slightest vestige of former buildings of any 
description whatever.” Mr. Salmon, in his modern his- 
tory, says, “ what is as strange as anything that is related 
of Babylon is, that we cannot learn, either by ancient 
writers or modern travelers, where this famous city stood, 
only in general, that it 'was situated in the province of 
Chaldea, upon the river Euphrates, considerably above 
the place where it is united with the Tigris.” 

Prophet: “ Neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; 
neither shall the shepherds make their folds there.” — Isa. 
13 : 20 . 

History: “The Arabians dwell chiefly in tents. They 
are a wandering people. “They pitch their tents and 
feed their flocks where pasture may be found. At Baby- 
lon there is no pasture. The whole site is a perfect deso- 
lation, on which nothing useful to man, or to the beasts 
for which he cares, can be discovered .” — Pictorial Bible. 
Travelers are uniform in their testimony, that Arabian 
caravans will not pitch their tents near the site of Babylon. 
Captain Wignan, though accompanied by six Arabs, 
completely armed, could not induce them to remain to- 
wards night near the ruins for fear of evil spirits. The 
Rev. Joseph Wolfe inquired of the Arabs whether they 
ever pitch their tents among the ruins ; they said, no, that 
the Arabs believe that the ghost of Nimrod walks amid 
them in the darkness, and no Arab would venture on so 


HAUGHTY BABYLON. 


341 


hazardous an experiment. That no shepherds make their 
folds there is the strong proof of its utter desolation. Once 
the suburbs, as also the grounds enclosed in the city, were 
very fertile. The soil for miles round contains no princi- 
ple friendly to vegetation. 

Prophet: “ But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there, 
and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures ; and 
owls shall dwell there. And the wild beasts of the islands 
shall cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their 
pleasant places.” — Isa. 13: 21, 22. 

History : Benjamin, of Tudela, a learned Jew of the 
twelfth century, says, “One day’s journey from Gehiaga 
standeth that ancient Babel, containing thirty miles of 
compass, but now utterly destroyed, whence the ruins of 
Nebuchadnezzar’s palace are yet seen, inaccessible to 
men, by reason of the divers and noisome kinds of ser- 
pents and dragons living there.” In A. D. 1574, Bau- 
wolf, the German traveler, says, “the ruins are so low 
and full of venomous creatures, that no one durst ap- 
proach to it within half a league, except during two 
months in the winter, when those animals remain within 
their holes. In A. D. 1579, the jeweler, Balbi, describes 
the place as perilous because of robbers and lions.” — 
Pictorial Bible. Another traveler says, “Most of the 
sites that we examined were pierced with holes and cav- 
erns, the retreats of wild beasts of the desert, and doleful 
creatures. We have seen the foot-steps of lions, have 
observed jackalls, and have been apprised of the presence 
of hyenas, porcupines, lizzards, bats, owls and other fierce 
and gloomy animals in the caves and cavities of these 
desolations. About the mouths of the caves may be seen 
the bones, and portions of the skins of sheep, goats, buffa- 
los, and even camels ; while the intolerable stench from 
some of the dens confirmed the evidence which these in- 
dications offered.” 

Sir B. K. Porter says, “ These caverns, over which the 


342 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


chambers of majesty may have been spread, are now the 
refuge of jackalls and other savage animals. The mouths 
of their entrances are strewed with the bones of sheep and 
goats ; and the loathesome smell that issues from most of 
them is sufficient warning not to proceed into the den.” 
Kippel informs us, “that the mound was full of large 
holes ; we entered some of them and found them strewed 
with the carcasses and skeletons of animals recently killed. 
The odor of wild beasts was so strong, that prudence got 
the better of curiosity, for we had no doubt of the savage 
nature of the inhabitants. Our guides told us that all 
the ruins abounded with lions and other wild beasts.” 

Prophet: “And satyrs shall dance there.” — Isa. 13: 
21. “ And the satyr shall cry to his fellow. ’ ’ — Isa. 34 : 14. 

History : The Hebrew word sheisim translated satyr, 
in its primary sense means something hairy and rough. 
Harris, in his natural history of the Bible, supposes it to 
mean the shaggy he-goat which are remarkable for their 
delighting to house among ruins, and for calling to one 
another. The word is “ literally translated hairy in Gen. 
27 : 11, 23, and rough in Ban. 8 : 21. It is frequently ap- 
plied to the goats, and is translated in plural, devils. — 
Levit. 17 : 7 ; Chron. 11 : 15. But in Isa. 13 : 21 and 34 : 
14, satyrs, i. e. demons of woods and desert places are 
intended.” — Smith's Dictionary. The Jewish Rabbin’s 
translate the word as meaning devil-worshipers. The Rev. 
Joseph Wolfe, the converted Jew, an extensive traveler 
in the eastern countries mentioned in the Bible, says, ‘ ‘ I 
went to the mountain of Sanjaar which was full of the 
Yezeede, who are worshipers of the devil. These men 
frequent the ruins of Babylon and dance around them. 
On a certain night, which they call the night of life, they 
hold their dances around the desolate ruins in honor of 
the devil. The passage which declares that satyrs dance 
there, evidently has respect to this very practice.” The 
prevailing opinion of the Rabbins is, that demons are 


HAUGHTY BABYLON. 


343 


meant by satyrs. It is tlie current belief, in tliat region, 
that demons do dance amid these ruins. So firm and 
operative is this belief that the ruins of Babylon are 
haunted by evil spirits, that they dread to remain even 
in the neighborhood of the principal mound. 


SUMMARY. 

The Pictorial Bible thus briefly marks the steps by 
which the ruin and extinguishment of Babylon was 
brought about. “The first great blow to its prosperity 
was the conquest of the Babylonian empire by the Medes 
and Persians. It then ceased to be the sole capital of an 
empire, as the conquerors divided their time between it, 
Susa, Ecbatana, and Persopolis. When the Persian em- 
pire fell, in its turn, before Alexander, it had a pros- 
pect of a restoration to greater glory than ever, as that 
monarch entertained the grand project of making it the 
capital of all Asia, and the centre of his new monarchy. 
But the doom of Babylon was sealed. Alexander died, 
and his plan died with him. His successors, in that part 
of his divided empire, founded a new capital (Selucia) 
on the Tigris, which drew away the population of the old 
city. Selucia, in its turn was eclipsed by Ctesiphon, the 
capital of the Parthians, on the opposite bank of the Tig- 
ris ; and after this had been taken and sacked by the 
Arabs, Bagdad arose as the representative of the ancient 
Babylon. After having been the capital of the first great 
Mohammedan empire, this city (Bagdad) has long been 
no more than a provincial town ; and when it falls, there 
seems no room to expect that any succeeding town of note 
will arise in this now thinly peopled and desolate region, 
the ancient fertility of which is only indicated by the re- 
mains of numerous canals, by which the now bare and 
dry soil was once abundantly watered; and the once 


344 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


teeming population of wliicli is only evinced by the heaps 
of ruins which occur in all directions ; and over which we 
have often looked with a wondering and reverential re- 
collection of the prophecies of Isaiah and Jeremiah.” 

It will be well, as also wise, just here, to recall a few 
facts that our impressions may be distinct and permanent. 
The prophecies were uttered not less than one hundred 
and seventy-four years before their fulfillment commenc- 
ed, and when there was the strongest human probability 
that they would not be fulfilled. At that time, the Jews 
were secure in their own land. They had no alliance with 
Babylon, nor any reason to dread the Babylonians. They 
had no wars with them. It was not probable that they 
would be plucked up as a nation, and carried away cap- 
tives to Babylon. Such a thing had never occurred, of a 
nation being carried away from their country. Yet it 
did happen, one hundred and twenty-f our years after the 
predictions about Babylon were spoken. The great 
strength of Babylon, the capital of the heathen world, 
rendered it improbable that it could be subj ugated. Still 
more improbable that it would be taken by the Medes, a 
people who, when Isaiah lived, were a dependent prov- 
ince of Assyria. No human forecastings could have un- 
anticipated that they would revolt, would subdue their 
masters and capture Ninevah, and that they would unite 
with the Persians, and that this new empire would con- 
quer the most impregnable city then on the globe. It was 
improbable that Babylon would become an uninhabit- 
ed ruin. Yet, history affirms that all this came to pass. 
By what possibility of human foresight, could it be now 
predicted that the city of New York would become a 
waste howling ruin, uninhabited except by wild beasts 
and doleful creatures. 

The prophecies concerning Babylon, were not vague 
suggestions, given in doubtful language, and capable of 
various interpretations. They were definite, specific and 


HAUGHTY BABYLON. 


345 


minute. An inventory of particulars ; naming tlie nation, 
the general, the method of conquest, the festal drunken- 
ness, and the leaving the gates open on that night. All 
which history affirms. It does not meet the case to say 
that it was all accidental, an happy hit, a shrewd guess. 
The predictions are too minute, and include too long a 
series of events, requiring more than two thousand years 
for their full and perfect accomplishment. It is not a 
fancied fulfillment, for the early historians who chronicle 
the conquest, knew nothing of the prediction. Isaiah, 
the prophet, lived two hundred and fifty years before 
Herodotus, and three hundred and fifty years before Xeno- 
phon. Jeremiah lived 150 years before Herodotus, and 
250 years before Xenophon. The travelers in the Chris- 
tian centuries, both Jews, Christians and Infidels, all 
agree in the facts of the utterly uninhabited ruins of 
Babylon. No mere human, uninspired pen could have 
written the predictions. 

The only reason assigned for the overthrow and extinc- 
tion of Babylon, was her abounding and degrading in- 
iquities. Therefore it was, that the wrath of God, the 
Great Moral Governor and Supreme Ruler of nations, 
burned against her, and made her an utter ruin— a per- 
petual monument, to warn all nations that unrepented 
sin will be their certain ruin. Neither wealth nor num- 
bers, nor munitions of defense, can secure a nation against 
the undermining and destructive force of sin. It will go 
on until the people become a corrupting mass, — beyond 
the reach of reformation, then they will be wiped out and 
found no more. 

As, in the ages past, events have transpired in accord- 
ance with his will, as fulfilled prophecies assure us, so 
shall it be to the end of time. When the grand consum- 
mation shall arrive, he will disclose to the intelligent 
universe, the wonder- workings of his power, the excel- 
lency of his wisdom, and the unimpeachable character of 


346 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Ms benevolence. He will make it plain, that he has al- 
ways stood by the right, in exalting to eminence the na- 
tions who have wrought righteousness ; and that he has 
degraded and blotted out the empires which have wrought 
wickedness. 

It is with confidence that I prayerfully commit to his 
care, all the interests of my beloved country. I trust, 
when he sends trouble upon us, he will also send forth 
the sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit, that his dis- 
cipline may work in us godly sorrow and repentance. 

May the spirit and example of the heroic good men who 
founded the United States, like holy leaven, so spread 
and permeate, that, saved from corruption, we may be- 
come a joy unto ourselves, and, as the model republic, a 
light and a blessing to all the nations. 


DANIEL. 

The Far-Seeing Prophet. 
The Stone Power. 
What is it? 


p. 347 


DANIEL. 


THE FAR-SEEING PROPHET. 
THE STONE POWER. 
WHAT IS IT « 


When Daniel was delivered, by angelic agency, from 
the hungry lions, and all his enemies were dead, he was 
more thoroughly entrenched in the affections and confi- 
dence of the king. He wielded more perfectly the reve- 
nues of the empire. He rose to a much higher ministra- 
tion. It was given to him not only to see the coming 
Messiah, as an atoning Saviour, but to fix definitely the 
time of his appearing. 4 4 Know therefore and understand, 
that from the going forth of the commandment to restore 
and build Jerusalem, unto Messiah, the Prince, shall be 
seven weeks, and three-score and two weeks. And after 
three-score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but 
not for himself.” — Dan 9 : 25, 28. The rabbins so far 
understood and interpreted these numbers, as to look for 
the promised Messiah at the time when Jesus was born 
at Bethlehem. 

Daniel, by the spirit of the Lord, looked further on, 
along the travel of the ages, till he saw a form of civil 
government, purged from all artificial distinctions, 4 4 fill- 
ing the whole earth, which shall never be destroyed, nor 
left to other people.” Each nationality brought into 
perfect harmony with the pure and equitable principles 

p. 348 


DANIEL. 


849 


of tlie gospel. Each a theocracy, recognizing the Mes- 
siah as the divine head and law-giver. 


THE GREAT IMAGE.* 

More than five hundred years before the birth of Christ, 
God was pleased, by means of a remarkable dream, to 
reveal to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, the future 
course of empire. The king, forgetting his dream, com- 
manded the magicians, and astrologers, and sorcerers to 
show to him his dream and the interpretation, under the 
threat that if they failed, they should be cut in pieces. 
If successful, great rewards should be their portion. They 
failed, and the king being furious, the decree went forth 
to slay the wise men of Babylon. The dream and the 
interpretation was given to Daniel. When the king asked : 
“Art thou able to make known unto me the dream and 
the interpretation thereof,” Daniel replied, “there is a 
God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known 
to the king Nebuchadnezzar, what shall be in the latter 
days. The dream, and the vision of thy head upon thy 
bed are these:” “Thou, 0 king, sawest, and behold a 
great image. This great image, whose brightness was 
excellent, stood before thee ; and the form thereof was 
terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast 
and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 
his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay.” 
Having brought back to the consciousness of the king 

* January 22, 1867, I received an invitation, signed by forty members of 
Congress, to deliver, in the Hall of Representatives, a discourse, which con- 
tained the outline of the thoughts presented in this article. Among the sign- 
ers of the request I find the names of Thaddeus Stevens, William E. Dodge, 
J. G. Blaine, and R. B. Hayes. I complied with the invitation, and a copy 
was requested for publication. This I then declined, as I desired more care- 
fully to elaborate and confirm my interpretation of “ The Great and Terrible 
Image.” 


350 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


this peculiar and terrible image, he then fixed his atten- 
tion upon another not less remarkable feature. “Thou 
sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which 
smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and of 
clay, and break them in pieces. Then was the iron, the 
clay, the brass, the silver and the gold, broken to pieces 
together, and became like the chaff of the summer thresh- 
ing floors ; and the wind carried them away, that no place 
was found for them ; and the stone that smote the image 
became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth. 55 
This is the dream, and we will tell the interpretation there- 
of before the king. “Thou art this head of gold. And 
after thee , shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, 
and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear 
rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall 
be strong as iron : forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces 
and subdueth all things, and as iron that breaketh all 
these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas 
thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter 5 s clay, and 
part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided ; but there 
shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as 
thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the 
toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the 
kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken, (mar- 
gin, brittle.) And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with 
miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of 
men : but they shall not cleave one to another, even as 
iron is not mixed with clay. 55 

Of this “fourth kingdom, 55 Daniel speaks more in de- 
tail. He names three phases in its history; viz., 1st, its 
unity, when it was a conquering and subduing power ; 2d, 
the mingling of the clay and the iron, when a new ele- 
ment is introduced, and 3d, its division, “the kingdom 
shall be divided. 55 

Still onward and beyond these predicted items, in the 
destiny of the fourth kingdom, he makes known, after 


DANIEL. 


351 


its division, the rise, the progress, and the universal tri- 
umph of another power, symbolized by the stone “cut 
out without hands,” which the God of heaven shall set 
up. A kingdom “which shall never be destroyed,” — 
which “shall not be left to other people, but it shall 
break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it 
shall stand forever.” 

As the second kingdom broke in pieces, and annihilat- 
ed the first ; and as the third did the same for the second ; 
and as the fourth did the same for the third ; so this fifth 
kingdom must utterly destroy that form of civil govern- 
ment which was symbolized by the gold, the silver, the 
brass, and the iron. As the stone is diverse in nature 
from the metals, so the character and destiny of this fifth 
kingdom, is unlike to the others. Those were successive- 
ly to pass away into the hands of other people, but this 
is to be perpetual. Those having served their day, have 
disappeared from the face of the globe. This fifth, shall 
not only 4 ‘ fill the whole earth, ’ ’ but 4 4 shall stand forever. ’ 5 

The prophet closes with the assurance that “the great 
God hath made known to the king, what shall come to 
pass hereafter ; and that the dream is certain, and the in- 
terpretation thereof sure.” 

We have in this dream a colossal image, in which hom- 
ogeneous metals are so combined as to make one human 
form. This aptly symbolized the four universal empires, 
which, with all their diversities, were one in nature. The 
fundamental idea of the whole representation is regal au- 
thority. By the key which Daniel has furnished, we 
know that the four metals in the image, symbolized four 
monarchies ; the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the Gre- 
cian, and the Roman empires, and that the stone symbo- 
lized another power. 

To show the divine purpose, in relation to the course of 
empire and the triumphant result which was to terminate 
the grand drama of providence, extending through many 


352 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


ages, there was given unto Daniel three visions, with the 
interpretations thereof. In the first year of Belshazzar 
king of Babylon, Daniel 7:1, in his vision saw “four 
great beasts came np from the sea, diverse one from 
another.” “The first was like a lion and had eagles 
wings ;” — the second was like to a bear, — the third was 
like to a leopard ; the fourth was dreadful and terrible^ 
and strong exceedingly, — it had great iron teeth. The 
interpretation says — Chapter 7 : 17 — -“These great beasts, 
which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of 
the earth.” 

Besides these four great empires, symbolized by the 
four beasts, he “beheld till the thrones were cast down 
and the Ancient of Days did sit,” ‘ c one like the Son of Man 
came — the Ancient of Days — and there was given him do- 
minion and glory and a kingdom, that all people, nations 
and languages, should serve him : his dominion is an 
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his 
kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” This is 
clearly the same as mentioned in Chapter 2 : 44 : 45, the 
stone to smite the feet of the image. In Chapter 7 : 18 he 
says, “saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, 
and possess the kingdom forever, even forever.” 

“In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar,” 
Daniel had another vision when he was by the river Ulia. 
“There stood before the river a ram which had two 
horns,” he also saw a “he-goat with a notable horn be- 
tween his eyes,” he further saw “a little horn which 
waxed exceeding great,” but whose power was limited 
to two thousand and three hundred days, when the sanc- 
tuary shall be cleansed.” This vision contains but three 
symbols only as the Babylonish empire was passing away. 
The interpretation by Gabriel, (Chapter 8 : 20,) is “the ram 
which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Me- 
dea and Persia, and the rough goat is the king of Grecia : 
and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first 
king.” 


DANIEL. 


353 


He then declares (verse 23) that “when the transgres- 
sions of these shall have come to their full, then a king of 
fierce continuance shall stand up, and his power shall be 
mighty, he shall destroy mightily — shall destroy the holy 
people — he shall stand up also against the Prince of prin- 
ces ; but he shall be broken without hand.” 

Here again we have the Medo-Persian, the Grecian and 
the Roman empires, with the assurance that this last 
terrible empire “ shall be broken without hand.” Again, 
when Darius, the Mede, was king, then (Chapter 2 : 1) 
Daniel had another revelation of the onward course of 
the empire, which designated the kingdoms of Persia, 
Greece, and Rome, and that finally, Michael, who stand- 
eth for the children of thy people shall stand up and pre- 
vail, though it shall be a time of unwonted trouble. It 
is important thus, to glance at these several visions, which 
looked far into the then future, even to the end that we 
might see that they all refer to the same subject, and all 
coincide with each other, as well the conquering power 
as the kingdoms to be destroyed. 

There is a perfect unity in the dream of Nebuchadnez- 
zar and the three visions of Daniel, clearly designating 
the chronological succession of the Babylonish, the Medo- 
Persian, the Grecian and Roman empires. The Rev. 
George Townsend, in his notes on Dan. 7 : 1 says, “ The 
vision of the four beasts in this chapter, represents the 
same great monarchies of the world prefigured in Nebu- 
chadnezzar’s dream, (Chapter 2,) by a large statue com- 
posed of various metals.” 

A. Jerome says, “But the fourth kingdom, which evi- 
dently belongs to the Roman, is that of iron, which breaks 
in pieces and subdues all things.” The commentary of 
Chrysostom is, “that if the Romans was more useful and 
stronger, and followed the rest in the order of time, and 
therefore holds the place of the feet.” The testimony of 
Mede is, “the Roman empire to be the fourth kingdom 


354 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


of Daniel, was believed by the church of Israel, both be- 
fore and in our Saviour’s time, received by the disciples 
of the Apostles and the whole Christian church for the 
first three hundred years, without any known contradic- 
tion. And I confess having so good ground in scripture, 
it is with me ‘ tantum non articulus ftdeej less than an 
article of faith.” 

Isaac Taylor says, “Thus, with the page of history be- 
fore us, those prophecies of Daniel, for example, which 
relate to the invasion of Greece by the Persians — to the 
subsequent overthrow of the Persian monarchy by the 
Macedonians — to the division of the conquests of Alex- 
ander — to the spread of the Roman arms, to the subdivis- 
ion of the Roman empire, are interpreted, without hazard 
of error, and with a completeness and specialty of coin- 
cidence, that carries a conviction of divine dictation of 
these prophecies to every honest mind.” 

The golden head, or Babylonish empire, lasted about 
seventy years after this dream. The silver, or the Medo- 
Persian, continued about two hundred years. The brass, 
or the Macedonian, retained power for more than three 
hundred years. The iron, which by the general consent 
of ancient Jewish and Christian authorities, is the Roman, 
continued to rule for a longer period than either of the 
preceding empires. In singular keeping with the pre- 
diction, “the kingdom shall be divided,” is the fact fully 
recorded on the page of history, that this western empire 
was broken up into ten kingdoms. 

The new power in the dream, is designated as “the 
stone cut out without hands.” From authentic history, 
we know that the prediction concerning the four great 
universal empires, have been literally fulfilled. It is 
therefore certain, that what is said of the fifth power, will 
also be accomplished, and that in due time it will be found 
in its appropriate place, and doing its specified work. 

Our present search is after this power, which is to break 


DANIEL. 


355 


in pieces the iron, the brass, the silver and the gold, so 
that the form of civil power thus symbolized, shall be so 
utterly broken, as to “ be like the chaff of the summer’ s 
threshing floors,” and be so carried away by the wind, 
4 4 that no place shall be left for them.” The examination 
of this subject is the more pressing and earnest, as the 
impression is becoming more decided, that we are nearing 
the times when God will make wonderful demonstrations 
among the nations, and throw a blaze of light upon his 
own predicted purpose. 


THINGS TO BE NOTED. 

By noting the things that are clear, in regard to this 
dream and its interpretation, and by a careful analysis of 
the characteristics of this new power, we may hope to 
learn what this stone power is. 

1. It is clear that each metal denoted a specific nation- 
ality and form of civil power. The gold was the Baby- 
lonian, the silver the Medo-Persian, the brass the Mace- 
donian or Grecian, and the iron the Koman empire. 
History informs us that the Babylonish empire gave place 
to the Medo-Persian ; that this monarchy fell under the 
yoke of Alexander the Great, and that in turn, the Mace- 
donian kingdom was subdued by the Homans. History 
further states that the Roman empire was divided, and 
that its fragments are existing monarchies. 

2. It is clear that all the Jcingdoms represented by the 
metals , had the same fundamental and vitalizing element 
of civil government. 

The colossal image, composed of various metals, made, 
as already stated, one human form. These metals were 
harmonious, and fitly symbolized the four great univer- 
sal empires of the world. These kingdoms, with all their 
differences, were in nature alike, being animated by one 


356 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


and the same spirit, even as a man is animated by one 
spirit. The vitalizing principle, however diversified un- 
der the reign of individual kings, or temporarily modified 
by the pressure of circumstances, was monarchy. This 
was true even of Rome, when called a republic. The 
supreme power of Rome was nominally in “the people. ” 
Here, we must remember that the population was divided 
into two classes, viz., the burgesses or citizens, named 
patricians, and their clients or dependants. It was the 
patricians who constituted what was called “the people.” 
Their clients or dependants, though freemen, had no part 
in the government. A third class called plebians, after- 
wards arose, but they, though freemen, had no political 
rights. During the so-called Roman republic, the patri- 
cians constituted the nobility. They not only filled all 
the offices, but monopolized all the political rights in the 
state. The senators, consuls, censors, and other officers 
were patricians, and under the name of “the senate and 
the people of Rome,” enacted all the laws. They never 
conceived the idea, much less incorporated it as an ele- 
mental principle of government, “that the rights of all 
men are equal, and inalienable. 5 ’ They did not understand 
that a republic was the “government of the people, by 
the people, and for the people.” 

3. It is clear that , as the four metals denoted four 
nationalities and a homogeneous form of civil govern- 
ment , so unity of interpretation demands that the stone 
also shall denote a form of civil government. 

In revealing the succession of empires, Daniel particu- 
larly notes how one great civil' power, is cast down and 
destroyed by another civil power, until a fifth arises, — a 
fifth what ? ^Naturally and logically a fifth civil govern- 
ment, which shall be triumphant and which “shall not 
be left,” like them, “toother people.” This one he calls 
a kingdom, or civil power, just as he had called the four 
which preceded it, kingdoms or civil powers. He gives 


DANIEL. 


357 


not tlie slightest intimation that he uses the word in any 
different sense. The statement of Daniel is plain. “ The 
God of heaven shall set np a kingdom.” This is as defi- 
nite and as easily to be understood as, “thou art this 
head of gold.” These two facts stand upon the same 
authority. The head of gold was the symbol of a civil 
power, so also the stone is the symbol of a civil power. 
If the interpretation was sure in the first, which was a 
civil power, and to be destroyed, so it must be sure of the 
kingdom, or civil power, which shall never be destroyed, 
nor left to other people. In the coinciding vision of the 
four beasts the same language is used, calling it a king- 
dom or civil power, with this express declaration that 
“the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, 
and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.” 
Still more explicit. “And the kingdom and dominion, 
and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, 
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most 
High.” This reiterated language indicates, that under 
the mediatorial kingship of the Messiah, the time will 
come when the people, and not a few of the privileged 
classes, shall have the civil rule and a form of govern- 
ment, in accordance with the principles of the gospel, 
which regard all men as brethren. “The kingdom of 
the stone,” says Tillinghast, “is a kingdom in respect of 
nature, the same with the kingdoms represented by the 
great image, i. e. it is outward as they are outward, which 
appears from the general scope and drift of the prophecy, 
which runs upon outward kingdoms. All the first four 
kingdoms or monarchies are outward, as none can deny ; 
why, then, the Holy Ghost, in speaking of the fifth and 
last, should so far vary the scope as to glide from the 
outward kingdom to the inward, ought, beside the bare 
say-so, to have some solid and substantial reason brought 
for it, by those, whomsoever they are, that either do or 
shall assert it.” 


358 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


4. It is clear that the stone power was to hare its 
vitalizing elemental principle diverse from that of the 
metals , and so diverse as to be antagonistic and irrecon- 
cilable. 

The prophet does not tell ns that the stone was to smite 
the image nnto its crippling and reformation, but until it 
should be broken in pieces and become like the chaff of 
the summer’ s threshing floors. It is a death-struggle when 
this stone power commences its work of conquest. Then, 
whatever the metals in the image symbolized, must be 
swept away and no place found for them forever. 

5. It is clear that the stone-power could not arise 
until after the fourth empire had been divided. 

The king did not see the stone, in activity, either at the 
time of the head of gold, or of the breast of silver, or of 
the body of brass. He did not see it working when the 
legs of iron denoted the Homan power in its unity. It 
was not when the new element, symbolized by the clay, 
first became incorporated. It was not until after the 
fourth empire was divided. “ Whereas thou sawest the 
feet and the toes, part of potter’s clay and part of iron, 
the kingdom shall be divided.” Then, at some period 
after all these specified events had transpired, he saw this 
wonderful and unique stone-power arise. 


CLAY AND IRON, CHURCH AND STATE. 

It is to be particularly noticed that, the two elements 
of clay and iron were combined only in the feet and toes 
of the image. It did not exist in the time of the Homan 
unity, under her Pagan emperors. It took place at a sub- 
sequent period. It was before the division and while the 
feet were whole. Though the clay and the iron were 
mixed they still remained separate, for they were incapa- 
ble of fusion. Their natures were unchangable, and pre~ 


DANIEL. 


359 


eluded such a mixture as to make them one, as two met- 
als can be fused into one strong mass. The lire that 
softens the iron hardens the clay and forbids all possible 
fusion. So the prophet teaches, “Whereas thou sawest 
iron mixed with miry clay,- they shall mingle themselves 
with the seed of men : but they shall not cleave one to 
another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.” Daniel 
speaks of the iron and the clay as representing persons ; 
“they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men.” 
He has in view different organizations of men. Here then 
we have two human organizations, as unlike to each 
other as the clay and the iron, yet uniting. This shows 
such sympathy as would allow of the most intimate and 
cordial cooperation. The iron represented the monarch- 
ical government of the Homans. So, whatever the clay 
represented, must, as an organization, partake of the 
spirit of monarchy, else they could not mix and be har- 
monious. Daniel further tells us that, the clay, by reason 
of its union with the iron, had in it the strength of the 
iron, and thus in its sphere became authoritative and 
dominant. From this statement, it is obvious that the 
iron and the clay cannot represent the patrician and the 
plebian orders of the Homan empire, as they were essen- 
tially antagonistic to each other. Having no sympathy 
with each other, they could not unite. There is no historic 
record which tells of such a union of these discordant ele- 
ments. But history does record the fact that, in accord- 
ance with the prediction, when the Homan power had 
subdued all things, then, not under a Pagan emperor, 
but under Constantine, the first Christian emperor, the 
Christian church, which before politically had been as 
powerless as clay, was united to the state, and at once 
had the strength of the iron. This union took place A. 
D. 325. This phase of the Homan empire was new, and 
clearly points out the second peculiarity, viz.: “ the feet 
part of iron and part of miry clay.” By this union the 


360 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


church was neither dissolved, nor absolved. It neither 
lost its identity nor its organization. It was united but 
was not fused. It continued, during the remaining period 
of the unity of the empire. This iron and clay or church 
and state union, still continues, as a prophetic character- 
istic, in all the remaining monarchies which are the divid- 
ed fragments of the western Roman empire. To-day they 
are as distinct and separate, in their natures and organi- 
zations, as when first united. In all the long ages and in 
all the diversified phases of its history, the church, though 
united with the state, has never lost its individual iden- 
tity or its separate organization. 


CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STONE — THE STONE POWER. 

1. It was to form no part of the image, being cut from 
the mountain. — Dan. 2 : 45. It could therefore be neither 
the Roman empire, in its unify, nor any one of its sub- 
divisions. Nor could it spring up from within them, as 
its origin was to be foreign. It was to be so distinct and 
peculiar as to be easily distinguished. 

2. It was to smite the feet of the image. Why the 
feet? Because they represented monarchy, with the 
church and state union, which union was to exist in all 
the fragments of the divided western Roman empire, until 
the stone power should so break them in pieces that no 
place should be found for them. This it was to accom- 
plish, not by any reformatory influences, or agencies from 
within them, as leaven working in the meal, but by that 
which is wholly from without. This is clearly denoted 
by smiting, which is a resolute external force. In this 
case the smiting is so continuous and determined, as to 
make it certain that the stone is so antagonistic to that 
which the feet of the image symbolizes, as to be relent- 
less and uncompromising. 


DANIEL. 


361 


3. The success was to be distinctive. It was not only 
to break in pieces and utterly abolish the form of govern- 
ment symbolized by the image, but it was to take its place, 
and fill the whole earth. It was to be universally and 
permanently victorious ; “a kingdom which shall never be 
destroyed, nor left to other people.” The work thus as- 
signed to this stone power is that which appropriately 
belongs to a civil government. That there may be no 
vacancy in the world, the stone comes into the place of 
the image, and fills the whole earth. As the image repre- 
sented outward civil governments, so the stone kingdom 
must also represent an outward civil government, other- 
wise the coming of the stone power could not supply the 
place of those destroyed. We cannot suppose that the 
world, being filled with the stone power, would be with- 
out any form of civil government, and yet this must be 
the alternative if the stone represents anything but a form 
of civil government. It is then to some well defined form 
of civil government that we must look, whose fundamen- 
tal and vitalizing principle is antagonistic to and irrecon- 
cilable with the elemental principle of the empires repre- 
sented by the image. To a form which preeminently em- 
bodies and promotes religious and civil liberty. 


ELEMENTAL PRINCIPLES.* 

There are but two elemental principles in human gov- 
ernments. first claims the right to rule without the 
consent 6f the people. Hence, the divine right of kings, 
and the right of succession to the throne. This is mon- 
archy. This is the elemental principle which animated 

* These principles are summarily stated in our paper in this volume, on 
Moses as a law-giver, page 158. But as they are indispensable for the com- 
pletion of the present article, we are compelled to introduce them again, with 
enlargement. 

16 


362 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


all the ancient dynasties, and which now gives distinction 
to all existing monarchies, however diversified in some of 
their minor arrangements or limitations. The second ele- 
mental principle is, that no one has any right to rule, ex- 
cept by the free consent and choice of the people. This 
recognizes the people as the original human source of all 
political power. It recognizes their right to shape their 
own government, and to elect their own officers or magis- 
trates, “ the government of the people, by the people, and 
for the people. ” This elemental, republican principle, is 
antagonistic to and irreconcilable with that which lies at 
the foundation of all monarchies. There is no room for any 
third elemental principle. The two cannot permanently 
co-exist in the same civil polity. All attempts to combine 
them must prove unavailing. For, necessarily, the one 
element or the other must be ascendant, and the one 
which is ascendant, will give character to the government. 
In England, the attempt is made to combine monarchical 
with the republican or democratic element, by the arrange- 
ment of king, lords and commons. King and lords, the 
monarchial and aristocratic element, has been and is 
dominant there, and gives character to that nation. But 
even there these two elements chafe and show their an- 
tagonism. Already the republican element has modified 
some ancient usages, and circumscribed the powers of the 
throne, and is demanding more radical reformations. 

Whilst religion may not be a fundamental element of 
a merely civil organization, it is always a directing and 
formative influence. All history authenticates the fact 
that the predominant religion of a country will give shape 
to the government. During the long ages over which 
false religions had unrestricted sway, there are no evi- 
dences of true civil liberty. The Mohamedan religion 
shapes the government, and forbids religious and civil 
liberty. In all lands where Komanism is predominant, 
it, and permanent civil liberty are incompatible. Says 


DANIEL. 


363 


Cardinal Wiseman: “The government of the Catholic 
church may be considered monarchical, inasmuch as the 
Pope is held to be the ruler oyer the entire church, and 
the most distant bishop of the Catholic church holds his 
appointment from him, and receives from him his authori- 
ty.” In all countries where Romanism prevails, it is in 
unrelenting hostility to the republican principle, and un- 
til the priestly domination ceases to be predominant, no 
permanent, civil liberty; can be maintained. ‘ ‘ The Catho- 
lic church is. the medium and channel through which the 
will of God is expressed. While the state has rights, she 
has them only in virtue and permission of the superior 
authority, and that authority can only be expressed by 
the church .” — Catholic World, July, 1870. In Protes- 
tant countries, where church and state exists, civil liberty 
is restricted. In both are found privileged classes, and 
aristocratic distinctions. The equal rights of the whole 
people are disowned. Toleration is not religious liberty. 
It is an assumption of a right which, in religion, no man 
nor body of men, have any authority from God, to claim 
over the conscience or religious freedom of others. 
Wherever a state religion is in operation, there special 
privileges are by law secured to it, which excludes the 
many whose consciences adopt a different mode of wor- 
ship. Liberty to dissent is mere toleration. Where the 
dominant state religion has its privileged orders, the civil 
code necessarily sympathizes with it, has its privileged 
classes, and denies that all men are equal before the law. 
“A free church in a free state,” is the only sure basis of 
permanent civil liberty.” 


WHAT IS THIS STONE POWER? 

Some judge that it is Christianity, others, that it is the 
church as a visible organization, and others still, that it 
is Christ as the personal head of a temporal empire. 


384 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


1. Is it Christianity f Whilst Christianity is a spirit- 
nal agency, and claims no state powers, still the advocates 
are confident that u the stone to smite the image and be- 
come a great mountain, and fill the whole earth, ” is 
Christianity. If Christianity is the stone — the mountain 
that is to fill the whole earth, what then is the mountain 
out of which this stone is cut? — Dan. 2 : 45. Obviously, 
this mountain was in existence before the stone was cut 
out of it. Here then, are two distinct powers, the stone, 
and the mountain out of which it comes. They cannot 
both be Christianity, for then it would be Christianity 
coming out of Christianity, and both existing simultane- 
ously. When the stone, being Christianity, fills the 
whole earth, what then becomes of the original mountain ? 
The difficulty remains on this theory — what is the moun- 
tain, out of which the stone comes ? That this mountain 
is the church, meets and solves the difficulty. The stone, 
as a civil organization, may consistently come out of the 
Christian church, and in some visible state or organiza- 
tion, do the appropriate work of a civil government, 
whilst Christianity and the church remain separate 
spiritual powers. We must here remember that the mis- 
sion of the stone is to destroy, by smiting from without. 
To make Christianity this stone power, necessitates that 
it shall be the immediate violent cause, and the prominent 
visible agent of over turning and destroying civil govern- 
ments. Thus, when it fills the earth, there would be 
Christianity, but no civil governments. But civil govern- 
ment is ordained of Grod as a human necessity. Chris- 
tianity has never arrayed itself in direct antagonism to 
any form of civil government. On the contrary, it has 
been the cement of every government which has cherished 
or even tolerated it. Whilst it commands magistrates to 
rule with justice and mercy, and in the fear of the Lord, 
it also teaches the people, next to the fear of the Lord, to 
be obedient to their rulers. Whilst Christianity will have 


DANIEL. 


8 65 


influence in shaping the laws of a nation, still it is not 
consistent to say that Christianity, as a spiritual agency, 
shall break in pieces, beat to chaff, and grind to powder, 
the form of civil power symbolized by the metals in the 
great and terrible image. 

The king did not see this stone power come out of the 
mountain, until after the division of the Roman empire, 
which took place more than five hundred years after the 
birth of Christ. Christianity therefore cannot be the stone 
power, because it did not take its rise thus far down in 
the track of time. It had been an undying agency since 
the death and resurrection of its founder. But chronology 
forbids, by its veto of more than five hundred years, that 
Christianity is this stone cut out of the mountain. 

2. Is it the Church f The advocates of this theory 
hold that the stone is the church, or mountain, which is 
4 4 to fill the whole earth.” Their argument is, that as the 
image symbolized four universal empires, so the stone, 
which is the church, must, as an organization, be univer- 
sal in its control over men. This has been the undeviat- 
ing aim of the Papal Hierarchy to secure to themselves, 
claiming to be the church, universal, spiritual authority 
and dominion over all civil governments. As the stone 
has political powers, indicated by smiting and destroying, 
so the Pope claims a political rule over nations. When 
therefore any government rebels against his authority, 
he smites it with the sword or other methods of discipline, 
and if not repentant, he may utterly destroy it. As the 
Pope is infallible, his decision is so binding upon every 
member of the Roman Catholic Church, that he must, on 
the peril of excommunication, which is damnation, carry 
out that decision, cost what it may. 

4 4 Imperial Rome governed the bodies of men, but did 
not extend her empire further. Papal Rome improved 
upon Imperial ; she made the tiara stronger than the dia- 
dem ; pontiffs more powerful than praetors ; and the cro- 


366 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


zier more victorious than the sword. She devised a sys- 
tem so complete in all its parts, for the subjugation, both 
of body and mind, that, like Archimedes, she asked but 
one thing, and that Luther denied her : a fulcrum of ig- 
norance on which to rest that lever by which she could 
have balanced the world.” — C. C. Colton. 

There are Protestant writers, also, who maintain that the 
stone is the symbol of the church, and that when it spreads 
and fills the whole earth, then this part of the prediction 
will have been accomplished. This theory is not free of 
difficulties. If the stohe is the church, what then is the 
mountain out of which the stone, as the church, comes % 
The mountain was in existence before the stone was cut 
out of it. The stone coming out of it did not annihilate 
the mountain. The two organizations co-existed. If the 
stone is the church, then, when it smites and destroys the 
civil governments, and becomes a mountain which fills the 
whole earth, there will exist only the church. But what 
becomes of the original mountain out of which the per- 
fected stone-mountain was cut % It is all plain and intel- 
ligible if we make the mountain, out of which the stone 
came, the Christian church, and the stone a civil govern- 
ment coming out from the church. The stone, as a civil 
organization, may consistently come out of the church, — 
have a distinct and separate organization, and an appro- 
priate work. We do not learn from the sacred page, that 
Christ has committed to his church any political powers, 
but only those that are spiritual. 

Chronology here interposes an insuperable barrier. The 
church had a visible existence in the year of the world 
2106, when God entered into covenant with Abraham. 
Daniel interpreted the dream in the year of the world 
3401. Thus the church was in existence 1295 years be- 
fore Nebuchadnezzar had his dream. The king did not 
look back and see the stone long prior to the image, which 
symbolized his own and three subsequent empires. He 


DANIEL. 


367 


looked onward beyond bis own and the three successive 
kingdoms, and then be saw tbe stone come out of tbe 
mountain. There has been but one church from the be- 
ginning. She has passed through various dispensations, 
still she is one and the same. She has existed and can 
exist under any form of civil polity. Her mission is to 
enlighten and purify, to refine and save, and not to smite 
and to break down and annihilate political governments. 
She is always loyal to the powers that be, for she knows 
that they are ordained of God. Hence the mission of the 
church is utterly incompatable with the work specifically 
assigned to the stone. 

3. Is it Christ, as the personal head of an earthly 
civil government f Daniel told the king of three empires 
which were to come after his, and which were to be de- 
stroyed, and then of another which should never be de- 
stroyed. The king could not understand this of a relig- 
ious person, but of a fifth civil government. The learned 
and leading Jews, in the time of Christ, confidently ex- 
pected that the promised Messiah would be a temporal 
prince, who would set up a political kingdom, deliver them 
from the Roman yoke and make them a great and trium- 
phant nation. They understood, from Daniel, that the 
stone would be a civil government, with the Messiah as 
the earthly king. Christ did not declare that the inter- 
pretation, which made the stone a civil power, was incor- 
rect. He simply denied that He was to be a temporal 
Prince, when he said “ my kingdom is not of this world : 
if my kingdom were of this world, then would my ser- 
vants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews : 
but now is my kingdom not from hence.’ ’ — Jno. 18 : 36. 
It is true that, before Pilate, he acknowledged himself to 
be a king ; but never in such a sense as to place him per- 
sonally at the head of any earthly civil government. He 
is the king of saints— the mediatorial lung, having his 
throne in heaven, and who rules for the government of 


368 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


nations and for the protection and completion of 44 the 
church of God, which he hath purchased with his own 
blood.” 

Besides this, chronology interposes its irreversible veto. 
Christ was born, and became a recognized power, more 
than three centuries before the Homan empire became min- 
gled with the clay, and more than five centuries before 
that empire was thoroughly divided. When the king 
saw the stone, beyond the time of the dividing of the em- 
pire, it was not a power formerly existent, but a power 
then first coming into existence, and working with antag- 
onistic and irresistible energy. If it can be neither Chris- 
tianity nor the church, nor Christ, then we must look for 
some form of civil polity which God has set up as the 
embodyment and illustration of the true vital principles 
of civil government. This is the more evident, because 
Daniel, 7 : 18, in the corroborating vision of the four beasts, 
says, “the saints of the Most High shall take the king- 
dom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and 
ever.” This speaks of saints as men, and not of the 
church as an spiritual agency. More explicitly, he says : 
verse 27, “the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness 
of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to 
the people of the saints of the Most High.” Here it is, 
“the people,” and neither Christ, individually as a tem- 
poral prince, nor Christianity, nor the church, but the 
people in their social organization. The time must come, 
for it is written, 4 4 the time came that the saints possessed 
the kingdom,” when 44 the people of the saints,” the mass 
of the people pervaded with Christian principles, shall 
“take and possess the kingdom,” or, in other words, the 
time will come when God will set up a form of civil gov- 
ernment, based upon Christianity, a theocracy, recogniz- 
ing Christ as the head, and law giver, which shall be the 
government of the people, and which shall be worthy of 
universal adoption, and which 44 shall fill the whole earth,” 
and never be destroyed. 


DANIEL. 


369 


4. It catinot be any existing monarchy of Europe, how- 
ever Christian. The fifth monarchy men were logically 
right in their interpretation of the stone as representing 
a civil power. But they erred fatally in making it a mon- 
archy. As the stone was antagonistic to, and irreconcil- 
able with that form of government symbolized by the 
metals in the great image, it could not itself be a mon- 
archy, but must be an antagonistic civil power, which, 
by its smiting, should sweep from the face of the earth 
that form of civil polity. 

The existing monarchies of Europe are the fragmentary 
parts of the old Roman western empire. Being included 
in the toes of the great and terrible image, their cherished 
monarchy and aristocratic privileges in church and state, 
must give place to a better form, which shall recognize 
that the religious and political rights of all the people 
are equal and inalienable, and to be maintained by just 
and equal laws. 

Has the stone-power, in its distinctive vital principles, 
a present existence, is a question which fairly crowds it- 
self to the front. Is there to be found any form of civil 
government which answers to the peculiarities of the stone- 
power? Is there a government “of the people, by the 
people, and for the people 5 ’ which is antagonistic to mon- 
archy — to aristocratic privileges, and the union of church 
and state ? and which secures to all equal religious and 
civil liberty ? I answer, yes : that God, in setting up this 
free government in the United States, based upon Chris- 
tianity, and which, in its organic structure, is antagonistic 
to monarchy, aristocracy, and church and state union, 
has established that form of religious and civil policy 
which can most perfectly secure to all the people their 
rights, and which is best adapted for the spread and domin- 
ion of pure religion, and the manifestation of the divine 
glory. 

I do not say that the present organization, whilst Chris- 


370 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


tianity lias not yet moulded and shaped all the laws — has 
not brought all the people thoroughly under its benign, 
equitable influence, is the 'perfected government which 
Daniel foresaw. I do not speak of the men, who may, 
at any time, constitute the congress, the judiciary or the 
executive, for they may be corrupt, selfish politicians. 
But I do say that the Declaration of Independence, and 
the Constitution of the United States do contain the ele- 
mental vital principles of government that are irreconcil- 
ably antagonistic to monarchy, to aristocracy, and the 
union of church and state, and which guarantees to all 
the people equal, civil and religious liberty, and that when 
Christianity has had its full moulding influence it will be 
the perfected model of the stone , cut out of the mountain. 
Christ having made atonement, by which all may be saved, 
ascended to his throne, as the mediatorial king, having 
all power in heaven and in earth. He established his 
church on the democratic principle of no royal or privi- 
leged way of salvation, but placing all men on the same 
level of personal obligation and individual salvation, the 
terms being unalterable, and the same to all. His com- 
pleted revelations contains his laws, for liis church, and 
for all the nations. The nations that choose him and his 
laws to govern them, and that mould their organizations 
accordingly, with no privileged classes, either in church 
or state, will have embodied the characteristic principles 
of the stone, and will fulfill the prediction. 

As the Chaldean, the Medo-Persian, the Grecian, and 
the Homan empires had dominion over all the then powers 
of Asia, Africa and Europe, and as the stone formed no 
part of the image, and could not come into being from 
any part of the territory over which these kingdoms had 
control, it follows, as a necessity, that the stone, as a civil 
power, must be found on another continent than those 
which were the theaters of the four empires symbolized 
by the four metals. 


DANIEL. 


371 


As this prophetic view was designed to extend over the 
whole range of civil powers, to the end of time, then the 
United States must be somewhere on the prophetic map. 
As the Roman empire was not designated by name, but 
by its characteristics of “ iron and subduing all things.” 
So the United States, not by name, but as having the dis- 
tinguishing characteristics of the stone-power. 

I cannot accept the views of those who interpret the 
passage, “ Ho ! the land shadowing with wings,” as desig- 
nating North America, because of its imagined resem- 
blance on the map to a spread eagle. This is too fanciful 
on which to build an argument. Still it is an interesting 
and perhaps significant fact, that the eagle has been 
adopted as the national emblem, or coat-of-arms of the 
U nited States, having that form of government which of- 
fers, as no other nation does or can, a home and security for 
all the oppressed of all lands, and protects them equally 
in their civil and religious rights. “ Shadowing with 
wings” denotes protection. The scriptures often thus 
speak of them, as, “In the shadow of thy wings will I 
make my refuge.”— Ps. 57 : 1. “Hide me under the 
shadow of thy wings.”— Ps. 17 : 8. “ O God, the children 

of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” 

Ps. 36 : 7. This suggests a faint probability that the 

prophet possibly may have been permitted to see, though 
dimly, the emblamatic eagle of the great republic spread- 
ing out its protecting wings. 

The Rev. Ethan Smith, in his Key to the Revelation, is 
confident that the flight of the woman into the wilderness, 
named in Rev. 12 : 14, is met and fulfilled by the flight 
of the Pilgrim Fathers to the wilderness of the new world. 

I am not satisfied that the fulfillment is to be found in this 
one historical fact, fraught as it has been with the most 
important results to the cause of liberty and evangelical 
religion. The eagle is a familiar scriptural illustration of 
the divine care and protection. Of Israel in their flight 


372 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


from Egypt God says, “I bear you on eagles’ wings.” 
Thus are we taught that the vigilant providence of God 
will not permit his church to be crushed by the fury of its 
enemies, but will find a safe place and method of escape, 
when the fires of persecution threaten its destruction. Thus 
the Christians, when Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus, 
had the gates singularly opened and a refuge place pro- 
vided for them in the mountains of Perea. The pages of 
history record many other illustrations of the care of 
providence, all through the ages, by which his church has 
been preserved. Thus the W aldenses, when sore pressed, 
fled to the valleys of the Alps and the Pyrenees, where 
from age to age they have found an asylum. Perhaps 
not less marked and distinctive was the flight of the Pil- 
grim Fathers, to the great wilderness of this new contin- 
ent. Not allowed to worship God, after the dictates of 
their conscience, as instructed by the word of God, and 
driven out by the unrelenting hand of ecclesiastical and 
civil oppression, they fled and sought, in the wide, howling 
wilderness, a refuge and a home where they might wor- 
ship God. Results, both religious and civil, so vast, far- 
reaching and benevolent, have flowed from this migration 
that, it stands out a most prominent fact in the workings 
of divine providence. It rises up like a bold head-land, 
and which may have caught the vision of the revelator. 
Of this we cannot be certain, except so far as it falls in, 
gloriously with the avowed determination that God will 
protect his church and find for her a safe refuge when the 
storm, in its intense fury, threatens to overwhelm and 
destroy. Then he will bear his saints 4 4 on eagles’ wings ’ ’ 
— will “hide them under the shadow of his wings” — 
“ will cover them with his feathers, and under his wings 
shall they trust.” 


DANIEL. 


373 


TIME OF ITS BEGINNING-. 

It is noticeable, that in the interpretation of the dream, 
Daniel, in the briefest manner, refers to the Babylonish, 
the Medo-Persian, and the Grecian empires ; but dwells 
with particularity upon the Roman. He specifies the 
successive stages through which it was to pass, viz., its 
unity, its clay and iron mixture, and its division. The 
western Roman empire was broken into pieces by the in- 
roads of the Germans, the Goths, the Yandals, and the 
Huns. This disintegration of the empire, according to 
the historian, Michiavel, and fully confirmed by other re- 
liable authorities, began A. D. 377, and was completed, 
A. D. 526. This carried the vision down into the sixth 
century of the Christian era. But onward and beyond 
this the king looked. “Thou sawest till,” that is, con- 
tinued seeing, onward to a future beyond the time 
of the dividing of the empire. Thou sawest till that, 
“a stone cut out of the mountain, without hands, smote 
the image.” That the word “till,” means an indefinite 
time, is evident from its Scripture use, Job 14 : 14, says, 
“all the days of my appointed time will I wait till my 
change come.” Said the nobleman to his servant, Luke 
19 : 13, “occupy till I come.” Our Lord spake of John 
21 : 22, “ If I will, that he tarry till I come,” and Paul in- 
structed Timothy, 4: 13, “ Till I come, give attendance 
to reading.” 

As in the interpretation of the dream, no time was fixed 
for the rise and triumph of the Medo-Persian, the Grecian, 
and the Roman empires. So no time is given, in this 
dream, when the stone will commence its victories. The 
time is fixed by the subsequent visions. The interpreta- 
tion does settle the succession, that the Babylonian was 
to give place to the Medo-Persian, and this to the Grecian, 
and this again to the Roman, and that this, when it had 


374 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


gone through its unity — its clay and iron admixture, and 
was divided into separate kingdoms, and when each of 
these kingdoms existed and were moving on in their mis- 
sion, then, and not till then, could the stone, in the order 
of succession, come into being and become, in its triumph- 
ant career, a mountain to fill the whole earth. As these 
separate kingdoms had to pass through their infancy, 
their youth, and their manhood, before subject to the 
smiting of the stone, long ages would be needed for their 
progress. The stone kingdom was to be set up “ in the 
days of these kings,” that is, in the days of some of them. 
It could not destroy the Babylonian, the Persian, or the 
Grecian empires, for these had already passed away. 
But the stone, by smiting the feet and the toes of the 
image, was to destroy the divided Roman empire, which, 
in its unity and iron strength, “breaketli in pieces and 
subdueth all things.” As by conquest, it stood in the 
place of the three preceding empires, the destruction of 
the Roman was the destruction of all that it had van- 
quished. The stone was to smite the feet when this vast 
empire had become divided. History recognizes the divis- 
ion of the western Roman empire into ten kingdoms, and 
of their perpetuated existence to the present time. It is 
an interesting and instructive fact, that in each of these 
sub-divisions of the empire, the union of church and state 
remains. 

In the three corroborative visions granted to Daniel, 
more definite information of the time when this new and 
peculiar power would arise, is given. In the first, Daniel 
7 : 25, three and one-half times must elapse before the 
kingdom shall be given to the saints of the Most High.” 
In the second, 8: 11-14, from “the taking away of the 
daily sacrifice, and the treading under foot of the sanctu- 
ary, two thousand and three hundred days” must be 
numbered. In the third, 12 : 11, “ from the time the daily 
sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that 


DANIEL. 


375 


maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two 
hundred and ninety days.” If we can attain to a correct 
understanding of these numerals, we shall then know the 
time of the beginning of this new power. These periods, 
it will be noted, are of unequal lengths, still they are to 
end at the same time, since they all relate to the same 
event, the commencement of this stone-power. To har- 
monize these, a varied method of calculation, adapted to 
the peculiarity of each, and in keeping with the Hebrew 
method of notation, must be ascertained and applied. 
The Hev. S. D. Baldwin, of Ohio, in a treatise called “ The 
Discovery,” sets forth a new theory in explanation of 
prophetic time. Having first tested its accuracy by apply- 
ing it to fulfilled prophecy, counting backward from the 
fulfillment to the times when uttered, and found it correct, 
he then applied the same principles to those unfulfilled. 
By each of the three statements of Daniel he is brought, 
by his principle of notation, to the year of our Lord 1776, 
as the time when this stone power commenced its organ- 
ized and visible existence.* 

1. The stone formed no part of the image. This 
teaches that it was to be a power outside of the Homan 
empire, whole or divided. This cannot be said of Chris- 
tianity, since it commenced its distinctive career in the 
Homan empire, and gathered its first converts there. Be- 
fore the division of the western empire, it was well nigh 
universal. To be outside of and distant from the four 
empires represented by the image, which spread over 
Europe, Asia and Africa, necessitated, as already stated, 


* Without committing myself to his unexpected though wonderful conclu- 
sions, I am constrained to say that his whole treatise, “The Discovery,” bears 
the impress, upon every page, of the scrupulous honesty of the author, his 
patient research, scholarly accuracy and sacred regard for the Scriptures. 
His search was after the truth, and not to support a pet theory. The coinci- 
dence of his calculations with the great facts of history, are startling. But 
they may not hastily be set aside as fanciful and not worthy of attention. 


376 ’ BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 

the existence and discovery of another continent on which 
this stone kingdom could arise so antagonistic to the form 
of civil government symbolized by the image. The new 
continent existed, and, in due time, was discovered, and 
was strangely peopled with a noble band of Christians. 
A new civil government, peculiar in its character, has 
there been formed. It is an interesting fact,, that the ter- 
ritory of the United States never formed any part of the 
old Homan empire. Nor, from our natal day, July 4, 
1776, has the United States been subject to the control of 
any of the European kingdoms, which now represent the 
toes of “ The Great and Terrible Image.” 

2. The origin of the stone-power was to be peculiar , 
not marked by the agencies which ordinarily give birth 
to nations. 

The origin of the United States, as a Christian common- 
wealth, was so peculiar as to find no parallel in the his- 
tory of nations. The feeble and despised, so-called inde- 
pendents, arose in England, A. D. 1604. They did not ask 
for nor attempt any reform either in the church or the 
state. All they desired was to be allowed to worship 
God after the dictates of their conscience. They were 
willing to live as peaceful and unoffending subjects of 
the throne. But the government, with the church in 
union, would not allow them the simple privilege of 
worship). They would neither permit them to stay 
peaceably, nor quietly to leave the country. A portion 
found their way to Holland. From thence they came to 
America, not to found an empire, but to find, in the vast 
wilderness of the new world, a place where they might 
freely worship God. They grew in numbers, and became 
prosperous, the religious element being always predomi- 
nant. 

The thirteen colonies had, for years, suffered much 
from the oppressions of England, and having common 
wrongs they united, and, in various ways made their pro- 


DANIEL. 


377 


test and their remonstrances. In 1776 their delegated 
representatives met, in a general congress, at Philadelphia. 
Even then they had no settled purpose to become a na- 
tion, or to form an independent government. They met 
to consult about the redress of grievances. Not until all 
means of redress had utterly failed did they take the 
step, which, in one moment and by one act, and that 
almost unpremeditated, made them free and independ- 
ent. By the Declaration of Independence, they recog- 
nized God as the supreme moral Governor, and as their 
God. They recognized all men as his creatures, made in 
his image, and having equal and inalienable rights. 
By the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, they, 
in a single moment , radically changed all their political 
relations. To it the people, all over the land, gave such 
a prompt and thrilling response of joy and devotedness, 
as clearly to denote that an unseen power had moved and 
determined their hearts. By this declaration they sol- 
emnly and publicly abjured all monarchy, all aris- 
tocracy, AND ALL UNION OF CHURCH AND STATE. TllUSj 
by its first act, it smote the feet of “ the great and terrible 
image.” As the representatives of the people, and in 
their name, they absolved themselves from all allegiance 
to the British crown. They declared that they were a 
NATION, FREE AND INDEPENDENT. Stepping boldly out 
from the darkness and the oppressions of the past, into 
the light of liberty and equality, they took their stand 
and assumed the rank and responsibilities of a nation. 
As they abjured monarchy, they fell back upon the only 
other principle of government, and claimed the right to 
govern themselves, and to determine their own civil policy. 
Thus events, in the providence of God, over which they 
had no control, urged on our fathers from step to step, 
even against their own plans and desires, until God, with 
hands unseen, did set them up as a nation. He gave to 
them a natal day, a distinction which no other nation ever 
had. 


378 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


The brave men who took this noble and perilous stand, 
had no idea of organizing a government which should 
ignore God. In their Declaration of Independence, they 
recognized him as their “Creator ” from whom they derived 
all their political and inalienable rights of “life, liberty, 
and the pursuit of happiness. ’ ’ They appeal to him as ‘ ‘ the 
Supreme Judge’ ’ of the world, for the rectitude of their 
intentions, and “with a firm reliance upon the protection 
of divine providence, they mutually pledged to each other 
their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.” 

The sixth article of their constitution requires of every 
office-holder, both in the states and general government, 
to take the oath which solemnly appeals to God. Both 
houses of congress are daily opened with prayer. Asa 
rule there are no sessions on the Sabbath. All public 
offices are closed on that day. And the natal day, and 
all public documents read, Anno Domini , in the year of 
our Lord. Thus does the religious element, acknowledg- 
ing God and Jesus Christ, stand out, so far as it could 
without its becoming sectarian, or a religious test. His- 
torically it is the government which a Christian people 
formed for themselves.* 

3. The stone was to be cut out of the mountain. 

That the mountain designates the church of God, seems 
clear from the Old Testament Scriptures. “It shall 
come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the 
Lord’ s house shall be established in the top of the moun- 
tains, and shall be exalted above the hills ; arid all nations 
shall flow unto it.”— Isa. 2 : 2. Very similar language is 
used by Micah4: 1, 2: “But in the last days it shall 
come to pass, and many nations shall come and say, come, 


* The first session of Congress “ adjourned on a solemn day of fasting and 
prayer, and dedicated themselves and their country to God, and on that mem- 
orable day the people pledged themselves to God and Liberty.” — S. D. Bald- 
win. As the non-intercourse with England cut off the supply of Bibles, they 
published a large edition for the use of the people. 


DANIEL. 


379 


and let ns go np to the mountain of the Lord, and to the 
house of the God of Jacob ; and he will teach us of his 
ways, and we will walk in his paths ; for the law shall 
go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusa- 
lem.” — Isa. 56 : 7. “ Even them will I bring to my holy 

mountain, and make them joyful in my house of praise, 
for mine house shall be called a house of prayer for all 
people.” The cutting, or the bringing of the stone em- 
pire out of the mountain, is the Scriptural symbol of the 
bringing of a Christian civil government out of the visible 
church. The beginning is very small as represented by 
a stone , — its growth by a mountain “ filling the whole 
earth.” “Fear not little flock; for it is your father’s 
good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” — Luke 12 : 32. 


THE FACTS. 

What are the clear facts of history \ When the pilgrim 
fathers dwelt in Holland, they had no civil organization, 
they were simply a Christian church, organized on the 
following Hew Testament principles : 

1. They recognized, as fundamental, supreme love to 
God, and equal love to their neighbors. 

2. They maintained that the duty of all men, devoutly 
to worship God, and the right of any competent number 
of Christians, to unite and form themselves into a church 
of Christ, for their mutual edification, with freedom to 
worship God according to the dictates of their consciences, 
as instructed by the Scriptures. 

3. They maintained that the rights and privileges of 
all the members are equal, and that the majority must 
rule. 

4. They maintained that no one had any right to hold 
office except by the free choice or election of the majority. 

5. They maintained the right of the church to elect or 


380 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


choose their own officers and to form their own laws, in 
accordance with the word of God, with no interference or 
control of the state. 

Personal liberty, the rights of conscience, equality and 
self-government are the distinguishing points of these 
principles. 

As a church they embarked on board the Mayflower 
and made the long and perilous voyage, having no form 
of civil polity, as they dreamed not of empire. The day 
before they landed at Plymouth they drew up the follow- 
ing short agreement by which they bound themselves to 
walk as a civil community : 

4 4 In the name of God, Amen. W e whose names are un- 
derwritten, the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign Lord, 
king James, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France 
and Ireland, king, defender of the faith, &c. Having un- 
dertaken, for the glory of God, and advancement of Chris- 
tian faith and honor of our king and country, a voyage to 
plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia ; 
do by these presents, solemnly, mutually, and in the 
presence of God, and one another, covenant and combine 
ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better 
ordering and preservation, and furtherance of the ends 
aforesaid ; and by virtue hereof do enact, constitute and 
frame suchy^ and equal laws , ordinances, acts, consti- 
tution and officers, from time to time, as shall be thought 
most meet and convenient for the general good of the 
colony, unto which we promise all due submission and 
obedience. In witness whereof, we have hereunto sub- 
scribed our names, at Cape Cod, the eleventh of Novem- 
ber, in the reign of our sovereign lord, king James, of 
England, France, Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scot- 
land the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini 1620.” 

44 This Instrument,” says Bancroft, 4 4 under which John 
Carver was immediately and unanimously chosen Gov- 
ernor for one year, was signed by the whole body of men. 


DANIEL. 


381 


forty-one in number. These, with their families constitu- 
ted the colony of one hundred and one persons ; the 
proper democracy that arrived in N e w England. ’ ’ “ This 

was the birth of constitutional liberty.” “In the cabin 
of the Mayflower, humanity recovered its rights, and in- 
stituted a government on the basis of equal laws for the 
general good. The compact was signed November 11, 
1620.” 

John Quincy Adams says : “It was a religious colony, 
and not an adventure for trade. The colony of con- 
science.” “The early settlers were eminently men of 
conscience which they carried not only into their religion, 
but into all their secular work and statesmanship.” 

This brief constitution, embodied the same republican 
and representative principles of freedom and equality, and 
of the right of the people to elect their own rulers, and 
shape their government, which distinguished their church 
polity and which was afterwards so admirably stated in 
the Declaration of Independence, and broadly incorpora- 
ted in the constitution of the United States. 

“We boast of the religion of the Puritans, and assert, 
what no one can deny, that the Pilgrim Fathers, shaped 
the model which has given form to our free institutions 
and government, and acknowledge the town of Plymouth, 
to have been the birth-place of our nation.” — Earner’s 
Magazine , December, 1853. 

“It was here (Plymouth) that the government, based 
on the will of the governed, was first established on the 
American continent, and the great principle that all should 
obey such laws as a majority of the people should make, 
distinctly acknowledged.”— North American Hemew , 
vol. 50, p. 336. 

Thus the stone partook of the nature of the mountain, 
the church out of which it came. The democratic princi- 
ples of the church transferred themselves to the great 
democratic republic. 


882 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Other nations grew np from colonies planted for gain, 
or by the ambitious warrior, with the tramp of armies, to 
found an empire. But never, until the time of our fath- 
ers, did a nation, as “a stone cut from the mountain,” 
grow out of the church. As a church they left Holland, 
and as a church they fled into dhe vast wilderness of the 
new world, that they might be free to worship God. Out 
of this Christian church, whose fundamental principles of 
government were thoroughly republican, comes directly 
a civil government, recognizing God as the Supreme Moral 
Governor. Under the fostering care, and with the special 
blessing of God, this civil organization has grown up to 
be a great nation, and a mighty power in the earth. I 
said with the special blessing of God, for this nation, from 
its very beginning, has been preeminently a land of re- 
vivals of religion. By these special out-pourings of the 
Holy Spirit, the headship of Christ has been maintained 
and made strong. A healthful tone of Christian morals 
has been sustained and made to spread in the community, 
and work out wonderful changes in human thought and 
action. Thus peculiar, as a stone cut out of the mountain, 
has been the origin of this Christian commonwealth, which 
the God of Heaven has most wonderfully set up. 

“The American precedent of the voluntary support of 
religion under free institutions, without any established 
order, will, in time, shake all the hierarchies of Europe.” 
— D. W ebster. Sir James Mackintosh says, “the politi- 
cal idea of the pilgrims are yet to penetrate the thoughts 
and life ef every civilized nation on the earth.” Charles 
James Fox said, in the house of commons, “that the re- 
sistance of the Americans to the oppression of the mother 
country has undoubtedly preserved the liberty of man- 
kind.” 

The historian, Goodrich, remarks, “The American Bevo- 
lution is doubtless the most interesting event in the pages 
of modern history. We see feeble colonies, without an 


DANIEL. 


383 


army, without a navy, without an established government, 
without a revenue, without munitions of war, without 
fortifications, boldly stepping forth to meet the veteran 
armies of a proud, powerful and vindictive enemy. We 
see those colonies amid want, poverty and misfortune, 
supported by the pervading spirit of liberty, and guided 
by the good hand of Heaven , — for nearly eight years sus- 
taining the weight of a cruel conflict upon their own soil.” 
“ No other state,” remaTks Stoughton, “ can boast of such 
an origin, and adorn its earliest annals with a tale as true 
as it is beautiful, and as authentic as it is sublime.” 


THE DIVINE MODEL. 

When, through revelations made to Moses, God estab- 
lished the nationality of the Hebrews in Palestine, it was 
not a monarchy, but a theocratic representative republic, 
which continued in operation for three hundred and ten 
years. The divine model was based upon the moral law, 
that man was made in the image of God, and that all are 
equal before the law, the stranger as well as the home 
born. By a careful examination of the details of this 
constitution, the following facts will be found : 

1. That, whilst it was a theocracy, God condescending 

to be elected their king, and to give to them their laws ; 
still, they had an elective representative government. 
“ Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy 
gates, which the Lord thy God giveth thee, throughout 
all thy tribes, and they shall judge the people with just 
judgment.” — Deut. 16: 18. 4 ‘And their nobles, (chief 

ones,) shall be of themselves, and their governors shall 
proceed from the midst of them.” — Jer. 30: 21. 

2. Each tribe was, to some extent, independent, having 
their own magistrates, and administering their own affairs ; 
being an entire political community. They had their own 


384 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


legislature, and often within their common obligations, 
acted separately. — Judges 1 : 21, 27, 33 ; 20 : 11-46. 2 

Sam. 2 : 4. They each sent their representatives to the 
sanhedrim, or national congress. 

3. Each tribe had a supervision, or superintendence 
over the rest. “ Any of the tribes could be called to ac- 
count by the others, for a transgression of the law, and if 
they refused to give satisfaction, they might be punished 
by war.” — Joshua 12 : 9-34. Judges, 20 : 1. 

4. United, they formed one nation. “ Though each 

of the twelve tribes was, in some respects, an independent 
state, and as such, had its separate interests ; still they 
were all united together by certain general interests, and 
formed but one nation.” “ When all that dwelt in any 
particular tribe were convened, they formed the legisla- 
tive assembly of that tribe ; and when they were convened 
in one body, from all the tribes, they formed in like man- 
ner, the legislative assembly of the nation, and were the 
representatives of all the people.” — Judges 1 : 1-11 ; 11 : 
5 ; 20 : 12-24. Josh. 23 : 1, 2 ; 24 : 1. This was called the 
Comitia , or the elders of the assembly of the people. They 
exercised “the rights of sovereignity ; wars were declared, 
and peace was concluded, treaties were ratified, civil ru- 
lers and generals, and eventually kings were chosen.” 
Still, the Comitia were in the habit of proposing to the 
people their decisions and resolves, for their ratification 
and consent.” — Josh. 23 : 2 ; 24 : 1. 1 Sam. 11 : 14, 15. 

5. They had a written constitution. The Pentateuch 
was their written law, to which they all assented.— Deut. 
27 : 3-26 ; 31 : 9-30. Josh. 8 : 30-38. 

6. They had a national system of education, which in- 
cluded every child. — Deut. 6:7; 11 : 19. 

7. They had no union of church and state. The priest 
had no civil authority, and the civil ruler, whether judge 
or king, was not the head of the church. 

The laws most sacredly protected the rights and the lib- 


DANIEL. 


885 


erty of every person, whether a stranger or home born. 
Every seven years the whole law must be read before all 
the men, the women, the children and the strangers in the 
land. On the fiftieth year they were to ‘ 4 proclaim liberty 
throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof.” 
Thus, wherever there was a human being, from Dan to 
Beersheba, from the great sea to the utmost border be- 
yond the Jordan, in his ears the stirring notes of the sil- 
ver trumpets were to sound, proclaiming that the Jubilee 
had come and wiped out all servitude from the land. 
Thus jealous was God lest slavery, which breeds despot- 
ism and barbarism, the sure bane of liberty, should be- 
come incorporated, as an organic institution, in the He- 
brew Republic. Hence no slave mart, and no slave pen 
ever polluted the sacred soil of Palestine. 

They were a nation. There were twelve tribes who had 
a landed inheritance ; but the tribe of Levi with no land- 
ed interest was devoted to the priesthood. These made 
in all thirteen tribes, and, united, they made one nation 
with a population of about three millions, with one law 
for all and one Supreme Ruler. 


MONAECHY. 

This divine model continued for three hundred and ten 
years. But, by reason of the corruption and irreligion of 
the people ; and in compliance with their own desire, 
“ make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” — Sam. 
8 : 5. God, as the expression of his anger, gave them a 
king.” — Hosea 13 : 11. He thus placed them upon the 
same degraded political level of the surrounding heathen 
nations. The recorded account is very admonitory. 
When the elders of Israel came and said to Samuel,” 
“make us a king,” they implied that they needed such 
a ruler for their protection. But the record is, “ the Lord 

17 


386 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


raised up judges which delivered them out of the hands 
of them that spoiled them.” — Judges 2 : 26. Samuel re- 
called to their notice these facts in their past history. It 
was in view of the insincerity and ingratitude of the peo- 
ple, that Samuel told them, “your wickedness is great, 
which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking 
you a king.” When he prayed unto the Lord: “the 
Lord said unto Samuel, hearken unto the voice of the 
people in all that they say unto thee : for they have not 
rejected thee , but they have rejected me , that I should 
not reign over them.” “Show them the manner of the 
king that shall reign over them.” — See 1 Sam. 8 : 11-17. 

The culminating act of their degeneracy was their re- 
jecting God as their king and law-giver. But for their 
irreligion, they never could have been so foolish as to 
surrender the high and distinguishing prerogative of self- 
government, for subjugation to a monarch. 

What a true commentary upon this transaction, are the 
instructive warnings of Algernon Sidney, who lived in 
the time of Charles the Second. He had ample opportu- 
nities to study the workings of monarchy, and on what 
it rests for permanency. His weighty words are, “as 
absolute monarchy cannot subsist unless the prevailing 
part of the people be corrupted, a free or popular govern- 
ment must certainly perish, unless they, (the people,) be 
preserved, in a great measure, free from vices. I doubt 
whether any better reason can be given why there have 
been and are more monarchies than popular governments 
in the world, than that nations are more easily drawn in- 
to corruption than defended from it. And I think that 
monarchy can be said to be natural in no other sense than 
that, our depraved nature is more inclined to that which 
is worst. 9 

These vital principles of civil government, which guar- 
anteed equal rights, which forbid all aristocratic or 
privileged classes, and secured the free choice of repre- 


DANIEL. 


387 


sentatives and rulers, which distinguished the Hebrew 
commonwealth, could not then become universal, because, 
in keeping with the prophecy, the Messiah, the Ancient of 
Bays, could not come until after these universal empires 
had passed away, and the fourth had become supreme. 
Though the Hebrews were a small nation, and hedged in 
by peculiar laws, still they were a foreshadowing type. 
As Christianity, the essential elemental influence of pro- 
gress and universality, had not, and could, not then come 
to its development, still the Hebrew commonwealth could 
stand for more than three centuries, as the type — pointing 
to the time when the Great Republic would be set up 
by the God of Heaven. And at the same time, a warning 
that degeneracy and irreligion will destroy the Republic. 


coincidences. 

There are, to say the least, some very remarkable co- 
incidences, showing the agreement between the type and 
the antitype. Unwittingly, perhaps, the framers of our 
constitution, virtually reproduced the divine model, made 
three thousand years before they began their work. 

The Hebrews were the first nation who commenced 
their nationality under a previously written law or con- 
stitution, so the United States were the second people 
who commenced their nationality under a written declar- 
ation and constitution. In both, the constitution was 
the supreme law of the land. Both acknowledge the 
same God as the governor of nations, and both recog- 
nized the equality of men. Another remarkable coin- 
cidence is, that the Hebrews, including the tribe of Levi, 
consisted of thirteen tribes, with a population of three 
millions, and that each tribe was a separate, indepen- 
dent state. These united formed a Republican Con- 
federacy, with one Supreme Ruler. So when the first 


388 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


constitution of the United States was adopted, there 
were thirteen independent states, with a population of 
about three millions. These united in confederation, and 
constituted a nation with one supreme law, and one chief 
magistrate. Thus it is clear, that the essential political 
principles of the Hebrew commonwealth, are the same 
which now give character and force to the constitution of 
the United States, and which distinguish it from all other 
national constitutions. 

4. The stone-power was to be irreconcilably antago- 
nistic to monarchy, and all aristocratic institutions. 

The smiting, the breaking in pieces of the image, so 
that no place shall be found for them, clearly indicates 
this antagonism. It is a well authenticated, historical 
fact, that until the United States stood forth as a repub- 
lican nation, there had been found no great political or- 
ganization irreconcilably antagonistic to monarchy, and 
the union of church and state. But the United States is 
a civil power, whose underlying and distinctive principles 
of government do strike unrelentingly the death blow to 
the divine right of kings, and to all aristocratic distinc- 
tions, whether in church or state. “We hold these truths 
to be self-evident, that all men are created equal ; that 
they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable 
rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit 
of happiness. That to secure these rights governments 
are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from 
the consent of the governed ; that, whenever any form of 
government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the 
right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute 
a new government, laying its foundations on such princi- 
ples, and organizing its powers in such form as to them 
shall seem likely to effect their safety and happiness.” 

Such elements of democratic liberty, embodied in a na- 
tional organization, could not exist without producing 
the most decided effects upon the monarchies of the 


DANIEL. 


389 


earth. “Help the American rebels and so weaken En- 
gland,” said the French king to Joseph Second, the Aus- 
trian emperor, “my trade is to reign,” replied the can- 
did. Kaisar, 4 4 1 shall not endanger the craft by encouraging 
democracy.” The Duke of Richmond, born Sept. 9, 1769, 
was, in 1818, governor-general of Canada. A short time 
before his death, which took place Aug. 18, 1819, in speak- 
ing of the government of the United States, he said, 4 4 it 
was weak, inconsistent and bad, and could not long exist. 
It will be destroyed. It ought not and will not be per- 
mitted to exist ; for many and great are the evils that 
have originated from the existence of that government. 
The curse of the French Revolution, and subsequent wars 
and commotions of Europe, are to be attributed to its ex- 
ample, and so long as it exists no prince will be safe upon 
his throne, and the sovereigns of Europe are aware of it ; 
and they have been determined upon its destruction, and 
have come to an understanding upon the subject, and 
have decided upon the means to accomplish it, and they 
will eventually succeed by subversion rather than con- 
quest” This is sufficiently outspoken. That this was 
not the hasty and splenetic harpings of a single peer of 
the realm, but was the deliberate utterance of a settled 
determination of the crowned heads, is clear from this 
further utterance, 44 1 have conversed with several of the 
sovereigns and princes of Europe, particularly with 
George III and Louis XVIII, and they have unanimously 
expressed opinions relative to the United States, and their 
determination to subvert it.” From the memoirs of this 
duke we learn, that it was in 1816 that he visited Louis 
XVIII. This shows how early the crowned heads of 
Europe, felt and dreaded the influence of the United 
States. When Napoleon the First appealed to the emperor 
of Austria, that there might be no more shedding of blood, 
the answer was : 44 the stability of European thrones de- 
mands that, cost what it may, republicanism in Europe, 


390 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


under whatever form, must be put down.” — Abbott's 
Italy , p. 530. 1 

The Duke of Richmond spake confidently, because he 
knew, that to crush the rising spirit of liberty, and to re- 
store legitimate monarchy, with church and state supre- 
macy, in Europe, had cost England a war of many years, 
and a vast expenditure of blood and treasure. He knew 
also of the combinations and the concentrations of vast 
armies to crush the attempt at self-government in Prance, 
which had been stimulated by the success of the American 
republic. He further knew, that to maintain monarchy, 
the sovereigns of Russia, Prussia and Austria, signed, at 
Paris, the league called, “the Holy alliance,” to fight and 
put down all republicanism in Europe. They invited 
England to become a party ; the Prince Regent declined 
his signature, but expressed his approval. Legitimacy, 
and the divine right of kings, were the doctrines then 
taught by the European sovereigns, after the restoration 
of the Bourbons to the throne of France. The nations 
were thus unceremoniously told, that if their monarchs 
please somewhat to reform their own governments, it will 
be permitted. But if the people should presume to origi- 
nate or to take any part in reforms, neighboring kings 
will pour in their armies and drench the soil with the 
blood of its cultivators. These confederated monarchs pro- 
claim to the world that they have bound themselves by 
the most solemn bonds, to resist political liberty, not only 
in their own dominions, but in the dominions of all the 
surrounding nations. 

This Holy Alliance has ever been vigilant and true to 
its purpose. When the Cortez, of Spain, adopted a lib- 
eral constitution, king Ferdinan.VTI appealed to the Holy 
alliance to protect him in his absolutism. By their ad- 
vice, France sent into Spain an overwhelming army, totally 
destroyed the popular and liberal party, and restored ab- 
solutism. 


DANIEL. 


391 


When Greece threw off the Turkish yoke, and declared 
themselves a free and independent nation, and were form- 
ing nnto themselves a government, then three of the great 
powers combined, and compelled Greece to become an 
hereditary monarchy, and to choose from the royal fami- 
lies of Europe a king who should be acceptable to these 
three powers. 

When the South American colonies of Spain revolted 
and secured their independence, the allied powers took 
immediate steps to crush this nest of Republics, either to 
restore them to Spain, or to make them monarchies with 
kings selected for them from Europe. Lord Castlereagh, 
then Premier of England, declared to Mr. Rush, our then 
Minister, that he would assent to no pacification that did 
not embrace the re-establishment of the supremacy of the 
Spanish crown. This remorseless plan was prevented by 
the timely putting forth of the Monroe doctrine, which 
boldly told themonarchs of Europe “ that we should con- 
sider any attempt, on their part, to extend their system to 
any portion of this hemisphere, as dangerous to our own 
peace and safety, and as the manifestation of an unfriend- 
ly disposition towards the United States.” 

When Hungary had driven out the Austrians, had 
gained their independence and established a government 
of their own choice, Russia, one of the holy confederacy, 
furnished the necessary troops to tramp out the govern- 
ment which the people had made for themselves. The 
Emperor Nicholas, stated in London, to members of the 
English government, that “ one thing would be unendura- 
ble to Russia, the establishment of petty Republics with 
Kossuth and Mazzines on her borders.” 

When the patriotic men of Rome made unto themselves 
a republic, then the armies of France, mis-named a re- 
public, folded around the eternal city, and restored the 
Papal government. No voice of protest was heard from 
any European power, not even from protestant and u lib- 


392' 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


erty loving” England. By her silence she said, aha! 
aha ! we would have it so. 

When Louis Napoleon, by perjuries the most foul, and 
by murders the most wanton and flagrant, subverted the 
republic, and made France an empire, and himself an 
emperor, then he was taken to the brotherhood of kings. 
England had no protest. Her queen received him as her 
guest, and bestowed upon him the high honor of the 
Knight of the Garter, and she returned his visit. 

The move made by Louis Napoleon, with his armed 
legions, to place Maximillian on the throne of Mexico, 
was a bold attempt, not simply to destroy the Republic 
of Mexico, but to strike at the life of our union. The 
treaty of London, for the invasion of Mexico was signed 
October 31, and ratifications were exchanged November 
15, 1861, by England, France and Spain. Two of the con- 
tracting parties stood in the back ground. Though En- 
gland and Spain held back from open activity they 
neither abandoned the treaty, nor intimated, by protest, or 
otherwise, their disapproval. The combination was more 
extended than appeared on the face. Maximillian un- 
derstood the combinations which then existed in Europe, 
when he demanded, as the condition of his acceptance, 
the guarantees of Europe for its permanency. 


MERE FACTS. 

I name a few more facts which, with those already 
stated, demonstrate that the success of free government 
with us stirs up the bitter aristocratic hatred. 

Soon after the outbreak of the slave holders’ rebellion, 
Sir Bulwer Litton said, “ the division of the United States 
into two or four governments would be no injury, but a 
decided benefit to England. For if the United States con- 
tinued to prosper as formerly for ten years to come, they 


DANIEL. 


393 


would be a power threatening to every kingdom of 
Europe.” Why threatening? Because he saw, most 
clearly, that the continued growth and prosperity of the 
United States under free self-government, would so in- 
fluence public sentiment as to revolutionize or subvert 
existing monarchies. 

The London Morning Herald , the organ of the Tory 
party, declared, that the restoration of the union would 
be a calamity for Europe, and for England in particular. 
The union had become a nuisance among nations. ’ ’ Why 
a nuisance ? not commercially, for the nations coveted 
our trade. It was our prosperity as a free republic, with 
self-government as the animating principle, which made 
us a nuisance, a stench in the nostrils of the kings and 
aristocrats. Because our free union, stimulating the 
hopes of the oppressed of Europe, caused kings to trem- 
ble lest their thrones should sink under them ; and aris- 
tocrats, lest their time- honored privileges should be swept 
away and then become as other men. Mr. Gladstone, when 
a member of Palmerston’s cabinet, said, in the House of 
Commons, “we do not believe that the restoration of the 
American union is attainable, and we believe that the 
public opinion of this country is unanimous upon that 
subject.” How manifestly “the wish was father to the 
thought !” 

The London Times , February, 1864, confesses that its 
hostility to the republic is based on jealousy of our grow- 
ing power. It declares that “the United States is a sys- 
tem complete in itself, disclaiming all affinity and sym- 
pathy with those of the old world.” “But while the 
republic was overtopping and overshadowing us, while it 
stretched its limbs and raised its tones to the scale of a 
giant, it was impossible but that our sympathy should be 
weakened. Mr. M. Gibson cannot, surely, demand from 
us that we should absolutely wish the United States to 
retain their ‘integrity,’ or now recover it, so as to make a 


394 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


vast political unity of the kind Mr. Bright describes \ 
That would be to wish our own abasement and our own 
destruction.’ ’ 

Lord Wharncliff, at a public meeting at Manchester, 
repudiated the idea that the people of the northern states 
were their kinsmen, saying, “if one class of men in Amer- 
ica were our kinsmen, it was that of the southern states, 
and not the northern.” He did not believe, with Mr. 
Bright, that the union would ever exist as it had existed, 
and hoped it would not, since its destruction was the best 
thing that could happen to their native land. 

The Earl of Shaftsbury, so prominent in all anti- slavery 
meetings, said in a public meeting, “I, in common with 
almost every English statesman, sincerely desire the rup- 
ture of the American Union. It has been the policy of 
England to brook no rivalry, especially in the direction 
of her own greatness. We justly fear the commercial 
and political rivalry of the United States. With a popu- 
lation of thirty millions now, they will soon, if not checked, 
overshadow Great Britain. We cannot look upon such 
a growth without apprehension.” 

In another speech at Worcester, he said, “In America 
democracy was on its trial, and it had been found want- 
ing. He thought the present struggle would lead to an 
inevitable separation of the two sections of that great 
country. When that event took place, he looked upon 
it as certain that an aristocracy would be established in 
America. He did not suppose that it would consist of 
dukes, and marquises, and earls, but he did believe that 
it would consist of a body of gentlemen, who would form 
a middle state between despotism and democracy.” 

The same earl said again, ‘ ‘ As the planters of the south 
live in their splendid mansions, own vast domains, do no 
work, but are supported by the labor of their slaves, they 
more nearly resemble our aristocracy, and therefore our 
sympathy is more naturally with them.” Alas! alas! 


DANIEL. 


895 


Ms aristocracy was stronger than his humanity, and he 
knew it not. For he is an honest, Christian man. These, 
and all other facts and utterances that I state, I do not 
recall to revive and perpetuate unfriendly feelings, but 
simply to prove the ineradicable antagonism between the 
foundation principles of our government, and all mo- 
narchical and aristocratic institutions, whether in church 
or state. 

Aristocrats in Europe gave their sympathy to the re- 
bellion. They saw that a war was made by the rebels, in 
favor of the privileged classes, and against liberty and 
popular majorities. This gave the slave-holders’ rebel- 
lion such persistent friends among monarchs, and church 
and state unions. They watched the resistless power of 
our example, upon the masses of their own subjects, and 
the conviction became more and more clear and strong, 
that our success would be their certain ruin, and that 
their stability demanded our disorganization. By a 
strange neutrality, allowing the escape of rebel cruisers, 
by a strange blindness to naval equipments, built in their 
ports, to prey upon our commerce, and in other ways 
they bid them God speed. 


THE BLUNDER. 

I cheerfully discriminate between very many of the 
people, and the government of England in the hands of 
the aristocracy. Whilst the former understood the true 
aim of the rebels, and had no sympathy with it ; the lat- 
ter, with its three arms of power,— the army, the navy 
and the church, heartily desired the permanent disrup- 
tion of the Union. 

The conduct of England was the blunder of the century. 
She was blinded to her true interest, by her aristocratic 
fears and hatred of the growing republic. Her true inte- 


396 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


rest would have sent, if necessary, 100,000 soldiers with a 
large naval force, to put down the rebellion in the shortest 
possible time, and thus save their best market for their 
wares. Statesmanship would have foreseen that, the 
stimulating and lengthening of the rebellion would force 
manufactures in the United States ahead more than 
thirty years ; that the war would roll up a great national 
debt, and that to meet the interest on this debt, and re- 
duce the principal, would necessitate, for many years, a 
tariff, which would virtually be a protective tariff. States- 
manship -would foresee that twelve millions, including 
four millions slaves, could not successfully stand against 
twenty-five millions of freemen, contending for the Union 
and their homes. But aristocratic hatred so blinded them 
that they could not see things so plain. The Union is 
still one. Our manufactured goods are competitors in 
the markets of the world. And even in England they 
hold their own. 


ANOTHER SIDE. 

There is another side, for not only are the aristocratic 
circles moved, but the popular classes are also deeply 
moved. These know, and they are many and increasing, 
that the cause of liberty, the world over, depends upon 
the result here. They know that every advance — every 
blow successfully struck here, brings European revolu- 
tions for liberty nearer and more certain. Hence their 
ardent prayers for our permanent success. The time for 
their revolutions is not yet. But the elements are shap- 
ing themselves for the great battle which will deter- 
mine, for all time, the civil destiny of the human family. 
On the one hand the despotic forces, in both church and 
state, will become more active and outspoken, and form 
greater concentrations and combinations of their power. 


DANIEL. 


397 


So, on the other hand, the lovers of liberty are becoming 
more intelligently and firmly convinced of their rights, as 
men and payers of taxes for the support of governments. 
The schoolmaster is abroad. They are crowding up near- 
er and nearer to each other, that they may stand shoulder 
to shoulder in the dark day of trial, or the bright hour of 
triumph. Thus, under God, are the forces mustering for 
the death-lock, the enormous and final conflict. I say the 
death-lock, for the hostility between true democracy and 
despotism is innate and exterminating, the one or the 
other must die. The train is laid. The despots fear and 
the oppressed hope. They both look with intensity as the 
spreading fires of liberty, both in church and state, reach 
nearer to this train. They know, that when the fires 
touch the train, there must come such conflicts and over- 
turnings as are fitly represented by the stone smiting the 
image and breaking in pieces, until like “ the chaff of the 
threshing floor it is driven away and no place forever for 
it.” 


THE UNITED STATES A POWER. 

It is a veritable fact that the United States is a power 
in the earth. In the short period of its nationality it has 
exerted an influence among the nations unparalleled. It 
has been, from its birth, an initiating force ; it has stirred 
up empires as no other form of government ever did. As 
the great rebellion has developed the unsuspected energy, 
the vastness of resources, the unconquerable love for the 
union, and the inexhaustible strength of the nation, we 
stand up to-day, as never before, a colossal power, the 
joy and consolation and hope of the down-trodden and 
oppressed. Thus, in the. wonderful workings of his provi- 
dence, the God of heaven has set up a free commonwealth, 
based on Christianity and that form of civil polity which 


398 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


he first gave to his own people, and which is best adapted 
to the temporal and religious interests of the human fam- 
ily. To-day, by his agency, we are made the school- 
master to the nations. Said General Grant in his inaugu- 
ral, “ It is my firm conviction that the civilized world is 
tending towards republicanism, or government by the 
people through their chosen representatives, and that 
our own great republic is destined to be the guiding star 
of all others. 

President John Quincy Adams, in his oration before 
Congress in 1834, on the death of La Fayette, stated that 
in 1830, during the three days’ revolution in France, 
La Fayette, in a conversation with the Duke of Orleans, 
(Louis Philippe,) respecting means of conciliating the 
people, said, “You know that I am of the American 
school, and partial to the constitution of the United 
States. ’ ’ To which the Duke replied, 4 ‘ I think with you. 
It is impossible to live two years in the United States, 
without being convinced that the government is the best 
in the world.” 

The republican element is in activity in all the European 
nationalities. In most of them the disruption of church 
and state is a prominent question. It would be easy to 
gather evidence from England, France, Germany, Switzer- 
land, Austria, Spain and Italy. Mr. Gladstone, a member 
of the cabinet, when pleading for the extension of the 
elective franchise in England, borrowed his chief argu- 
ment and illustration from the success of universal suf- 
frage in the United States. His language is emphatic. 
“The wonderful, unexampled, and almost incredible 
effect that has been produced by that system, in giving 
forcible expression to the national will, and in enabling 
that government to develop energies for the purpose of 
giving effect to that will, such as have probably never 
been developed in equal times, and among equal numbers 
of men, since the race of man began upon earth.” This 


DANIEL. 


399 


tells tlie influence of the United States upon English 
thought and action. 

An editor in a leading paper thus writes : “From the 
restoration of the great American Republic, the republi- 
cans of Europe expect the most powerful and lasting in- 
fluence upon the progress of liberal principles in Europe. 
They are of opinion that a closer union between believers 
in popular sovereignty and republican institutions, could 
not fail greatly to promote the advance of the common 
cause in the old world. They are sufficiently acquainted 
with the fundamental principles of the foreign policy of 
the United States, not to expect any armed interference ; 
but they are satisfied that the peaceable alliance of Ameri- 
can and European republicans, for the elucidation and 
diffusion of republican principles, may exercise a power- 
ful and — in the course of time — an irresistible influence 
upon the political destinies of the old world.” 

Another states, “Nearly every country of Europe has 
at present a republican party, who look forward to the 
time when the political education of the people shall have 
made sufficient progress to establish the principle of pop- 
ular sovereignty under a republican form of government.” 

Victor Hugo writes to the American committee, com- 
posed, not of Americans, but of citizens of various coun- 
tries, who adopt the principles of the constitution of the 
United States, who appreciate its excellencies, and are 
laboring for its success in their countries : “By the side 
of the United States of America, we must have the United 
States of Europe ; the two worlds should make but one 
republic ; the day will come, and then the peace of the 
peoples will be founded on this basis, the only solid foun- 
dation, the liberty of men.” Hear another voice from 
Italy. Baron Ricasoli, when Prime Minister, in 1866, 
catching the noble inspiration of Count Cavour, in a cir- 
cular, pointed to the constitution of the United States, as 
a model deserving to be followed by every liberal state 


400 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


government.’ ’ Here is a distinct recognition of the power 
of the United States as a civil organization, affecting both 
the state and the church. Perhaps the heaviest and most 
far-reaching blow which the smiting stone has yet given, 
is seen in the destruction of the temporal power of the 
Pope. 

It is an universal fact, that the dominant form of reli- 
gion will give shape to the civil polity. The Papal having 
the control of the minds of the people, will inevitably, if 
not counteracted, secure a monarchy with which it is in 
fundamental sympathy. The Papal and Greek church 
culminating in one man power, and having the control of 
the minds of the people, will produce, and whilst they 
have the power, perpetuate a despotic civil organization. 
Until the masses of the people are so educated as to un- 
derstand and appreciate their rights, and throw off these 
oppressive incumbrances, no permanent civil liberty can 
be secured. All their efforts for liberty will be spasmodic 
and temporary. As the ecclesiastical looses its hold, in 
that proportion civil liberty gains. The United States 
owes its eminent success to the grand fact that the pilgrim 
fathers commenced their organization with religious free- 
dom, hence the permanency of civil liberty in the great 
republic. 

It is a good sign of progress, that the monarchies of 
Europe have now much less to say about the divine right 
of kings than formerly, and that they have far more re- 
spect for the will of the people. Many questions are now 
submitted to the popular vote, which formerly would have 
been settled without any regard to the interests or wishes 
of the people. The thrones are feeling the influence of 
democratic principles. 

The prophecy calls not only for the extinction of the 
form of civil government symbolized by the image, but 
the universal and permanent spread of the stone-power 
“ shall never be destroyed, and the kingdom shall not be 


DANIEL. 


401 


left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and con- 
sume all their kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.’ * — 
Dan. 2 : 44. 

Whilst the ultimate is future still, enough has trans- 
pired to indicate what must be. We know that it is the 
revealed purpose of God that Christianity shall become 
universal, and bring all men under its controlling influ- 
ence. The New Testament is thoroughly democratic in 
its terms. There is not one law for the rich, and another 
for the poor. There is no respect of persons with God. 
There are no privileged classes. The king and the beggar, 
and all men stand on the same level for salvation. Mon- 
tesque says, 4 ‘Christianity is a stranger to despotic power. 5 ’ 
DeTosqueville remarks, ‘ ‘ The religion which declares that 
all are equal in the sight of God, will not refuse to ac- 
knowledge that all citizens are equal in the eye of the law. 
Religion is the companion of liberty in all its battles, and 
all its conflicts, the cradle of its infancy, and the divine 
source of its claims.” It was a just remark of Kossuth : 
“ I have learned that republics may cease to be Christian, 
but Christianity can never cease to be republican.” 

As Christianity, pure, free, and unrestricted, spreads 
over the world, it will so shape and determine all govern- 
ments as to secure laws, rendering the civil and religious 
rights of all men equal and inalienable. Whether this 
result will be secured only by the force of our example, 
stirring up the masses of other nations to revolution, or 
by the clash of arms, and the use of our forces of the sea 
and of the land, belongs to God to determine. My pre- 
vailing conviction is, that it will be solely by our success- 
ful example. But such is the power of Satan, and of 
human pride and selfishness, that combinations may yet 
be formed to blot out the example. This would necessi- 
tate an appeal to arms. As despots, as well as the devil, 
never give up their power except by compulsion, it will 
certainly cause, in those nations, conflicts, perhaps as 


402 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


severe, and protracted, and bloody, as was the price we 
paid for our liberty. 

The remodelling must go on until a theocratic republic 
is established by the free choice of the people in every 
land. 


STEPS OF THE ARGUMENT. 

V 

1. We have seen that the four metals of the image 
represented the Babylonish, the Medo-Persian, the Gre- 
cian and the Roman empires, which succeeded each other. 
Each, in its turn, became universal. So unity of inter- 
pretation demands that the stone shall also represent a 
form of civil power which must also become universal. 

2. We have seen that the distinctive work of the stone 
is that of a civil power, and that, as the others, each de- 
stroyed its preceding one, so the stone is to destroy the 
form of government symbolized by the metals. 

3. We have seen that in A. D. 325, in the latter period 
of the unity of the Roman empire, the church and the 
state became united. That about A. D. 526 the western 
Roman empire was divided into ten kingdoms, and that 
in each of the divided parts, the union of church and state 
has been perpetuated as one of their distinguishing char- 
acteristics. 

4. We have seen that there are but two elemental prin- 
ciples of civil government, the monarchical and the demo- 
cratic. The metals representing the former, and the stone 
the latter. 

5. We have seen that the prevailing religion of a 
country shapes and determines the civil government — that 
a despotic religion makes a despotic government. 

6. We have seen, that as the stone can be neither 
Christianity, nor Christ, nor the church, so it must be 
some well defined form of civil government, embodying 


DANIEL. 


403 


elemental and vivifying principles, antagonistic to tliat 
represented by tlie four metals. 

7. We have seen that no one of the monarchical gov- 
ernments of Europe can become the stone power, as they 
are the divided parts of the Roman empire, whose forms 
of government are to be destroyed. 

8. We have seen that the Declaration of Independence 
and the Constitution of the United States, not only an- 
nounced principles subversive of monarchy and the union 
of church and state, but most wonderfully meets the time 
designated by the prophecies for its appearance. 

9. We have seen that the form of government which 
gives distinctive character to the United States, came out 
of the church, and meets the peculiarity of the prediction, 
the stone cut out of the mountain. 

10. W e have seen that, in all its leading features, the 
government of the United States, and of the separate 
states, corresponds with the divine model, as illustrated 
in the Hebrew commonwealth, during the three hundred 
and ten years when it was a theocratic representative re- 
public. 

11. We have seen that the essential principles of the 
Constitution of the United States, like those of the stone, 
are antagonistic to and irreconcilable with monarchy, 
aristocracy, and the union of church and state. 

12. W e have seen that from the natal day of the U nited 
States, it has been an irritating power, waking up the op- 
position of monarchies and despotic church organization, 
has become a reforming and overturning influence, and is 
at present doing the work of the stone-power. 


OUR DANGER. 

The question comes to the front, why may not the great 
republic fail, as did those of Greece and Rome, and in 


404 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


more modern days, those of France and South America ? 
There are radical points of dissimilarity between them 
and us. The ancient republics were so only in name. 
They had no conception of the “ government of the people, 
and by the people, and for the people,” and that all men 
are equal before the law. They were under the influence 
of a false fanatical religion. The modern republics had 
their uncertain existence, because either a despotic form 
of religion prevailed and governed the masses, or, as in 
the case of France, infidelity and atheism reigned. The 
political liberty of the United States is based on religious 
liberty, the only stable foundation of civil liberty. The 
great republic is based on that form of Christianity which 
recognizes no privileged classes either in the church or 
the state, which requires equal love to our neighbor, which, 
by its constitution, secures the religious and civil liberty 
of every citizen. Every man has a stake in the govern- 
ment, and, if patriotic, is personally interested in its per- 
petuity. The rickety condition of modern republics, is 
because they are contending for their lives with the priest- 
ly influence of a despotic dominant religion, and these have 
no lessons of admonition for us. So long as we are un- 
yielding in our stand for perfect religious freedom, the 
right of every man to worship God after the dictates of 
his conscience, as instructed by the word of God, we are 
safe. For this, carried out, will necessitate a free state. 

Eternal vigilance is still the price of liberty. The des- 
potic element with us did not die out with the death of 
slavery, and the putting down of the rebellion. It still 
lives. There is among us both political and spiritual 
despotism. These are the unrelenting and unchanging 
enemies of civil and religious liberty. Their creed is 
“rule or ruin.” These, merging all differences, may and 
probably will unite to secure the supremacy, or throw the 
country into anarchy. There is no argument against the 
papal supremacy on the continent of Europe, so potent 


DANIEL. 


405 


and unanswerable as the success of our free institutions. 
The spirit of the papacy is to annihilate the individual 
will, and bring it and all wills into perfect obedience to 
the Pope. Whilst it is the genius of our government to 
so individualize each will, that it shall be free to act and 
responsible only to God. These principles are antagon- 
istic. Both cannot be supreme at the same time. The 
papal power must work to the destruction of the present 
form of government, so that free institutions here, being 
a failure, Romanism is strengthened in Europe, and per- 
haps dominant here. Our true danger, in addition to, 
and superior to, the degeneracy which wealth, luxury, 
ambition and irreligion breeds, is the secret workings of 
papacy, and the artful intrigues of the Jesuits. Expelled 
from Europe they will congregate here and ply their arts 
to control. At times a hint is thrown out of their pur- 
pose. The Catholic World for April, 1870, speaking of 
the Roman church, says: “ She therefore does not and 
cannot accept, or in any degree, favor liberty in the Pro- 
testant sense of liberty.” Again, the same paper for J uly, 
1870, says: “The Catholic church is the medium and 
channel through which the will of God is expressed. 
While the state has rights, she has them only in virtue 
and by permission of the supreme authority, and that 
authority can only be expressed through the church .” 
The Shepherd of the Valley , published at St. Louis, Mo., 
said, November 23d, 1851: “The church is necessarily 
intolerant. If Catholics ever gain an immense numerical 
majority, religious freedom in this country is at an end. 
So our enemies say, so we believe.” Hence it is evident 
that where Romanism is dominant there civil liberty 
never has been, and never can be permanently secured. 

We must not ignore this source of danger by saying 
the papists never can gain a numerical majority. We 
must not forget that there is a common bond of sympathy 
between political and religious despotism. Slavery every- 


406 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


where breeds despotism and barbarity. Though slavery 
is abolished, the spirit that bought and sold human 
beings and held them in bondage still lives. It lives in 
these United States. It combines its forces into a solid 
front. It will find a willing and powerful ally in Roman- 
ism. Each determined to “ rule or ruin.” Here is our 
danger. Romanism. never had so inviting a field. Hav- 
ing here privileges which she forbids to Protestants in 
Catholic countries, and cheered by the fact that their 
present numbers, acting under one directing will, give 
them the balance where parties are so nearly equal. 
Ambition, stimulated by human depravity, may, and 
doubtless will, combine the papal with one or the other 
of the great political parties. The signs of the times look 
strongly that way. 


ENCOURAGEMENT. 

There is, however, no occasion for despair. The past 
care of providence is our guarantee for the future. G-od 
held in seclusion this broad continent, with its virgin soil 
and rich mineral treasures, until he brought here a noble 
band of Christian men, fitted, by their special training ’ 
for self-government, to lay the deep foundations of relig- 
ious and civil liberty. He extinguished the French Cath- 
olic power, which, with its chain of forts from the north 
to extreme south, confined our colonies as within a wall 
of iron. He gave success to the revolution which se- 
cured our independence and our liberty. He gave won- 
derful growth to religion and knowledge, which resulted 
in the adoption of a constitution which introduced a new 
era in the political world. During our infancy, he kept 
the monarchies of the old world busy with wars for about 
thirty years, which so exhausted them, that it required a 
full generation of peace for them to recruit. Thus we 


DANIEL. 


407 


had time to gain consolidation and strength. Being un- 
faithful to the avowed principles of our government, he 
punished us, by plunging us into a terrible civil war. 
But in punishing, he saved us ; and wiped out slavery, 
that fearful blot and curse which had seduced and well- 
nigh ruined the nation. All through this war, he led us 
by a way we knew not. In many ways, his interposition 
was so marked as to compel the acknowledgment of his 
special providence. And now the nation, through conflict, 
stands up for the religious and civil right of every citizen, 
irrespective of race, or color, or former condition. 

The Republic is safe. I think preeminently that this 
country belongs to Christ. He has instituted a form of 
government here, which he intends to guide and make 
permanent and influential. He has, for our discipline, 
and the instruction of the nations, put severe strains upon 
it; but has brought us safely through. The rebellion 
was a terrific strain. Many abroad, looked for our halt- 
ing and overthrow. Many hearts at home failed them 
through fear. The Union was saved. At the last presi- 
dential election, it seemed as though anarchy and bloody 
strife would blot out the government, but a new and be- 
fore unthought of expedient of practical wisdom, saved 
the Union. There is another strain, and this may not be 
the last, but through and over them all the Union, un- 
damaged, and to the admiration of the nations, will ride 
safely. But the patriotic must not slumber. If they are 
true to God and the principles of the constitution, there 
is a strong religious and patriotic sentiment which will 
not fail. It will come forth to prompt and energetic ac- 
tion. 

As our form of government is based upon Christianity, 
it is indispensable that in its simplest and most effective 
form, it should spread all over our land, and permeate 
with its sanctifying power, all hearts. This will secure 
reverence towards God, morality, intelligence, self-gov- 


408 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


eminent and obedience to law, the essential elements of 
life and perpetuity to a republic. ‘ £ Of all the disposition 
and habits,” says Washington, “ which lead to political 
prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable 
supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of 
patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars 
of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of 
men and citizens.” 

A religious, intelligent, patriotic and sober community 
can never be misled by corrupt combinations, nor entrap- 
ped into deep laid schemes for the overthrow of the great 
Republic. Our hope and trust is in God and in the power 
of his truth. “ The truth shall make you free.” As we 
have a great and glorious work before us for God and for 
humanity, our duty then is plain and imperative. It is 
to stand firm in our lot, and with unflinching fidelity to 
God sustain this form of government which the God of 
heaven has set up. “The counsel of the Lord standeth 
forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations. 
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the peo- 
ple whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.” — 
Psalm 83 : 11, 12. For it is also written, “ For the nation 
and kingdom that will not save thee shall perish ; yea, 
those nations shall be utterly wasted. ’ ’ — Isa. 60 : 12 . “ Be 
wise now, therefore, O ye kings ; be instructed, ye judges 
of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with 
trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and ye perish 
from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. 
Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him.” 
— Psalm 2 : 10-12. 


THE GENIUS OF AMERICA. 

More than half a century since the Rev. Mr. Whelpley, 
then unknown to fame, whilst nobly contending against 


DANIEL. 


409 


religious intolerance, witli a bold and graphic hand thus 
sketched the genius of America : ‘ ‘ The Genius, in the 
form and proportions of an Apollo Belvedere, far tran- 
scended the human statue in height and power, and 
though he could not appear otherwise than terribly ma- 
jestic, he expressed the grandest lines of perfect benignity, 
and excited the highest sensations of the sublime. In his 
countenance was a placidness and security of expression 
indicated by the union of power and goodness ; fearless 
of danger and of war ; yet preferring peace and tranquility. 
A dazzling robe of scarlet descended from his shoulders, 
partially concealing an underdress of white, and it 
seemed not easy to determine whether the fashion of his 
dress was ancient or modern. On his left breast was a 
plate of burnished gold, surmounted with a Mosaic star 
of brilliants of great luster, around which was this in- 
scription, Civil and Religious Libeety. Bearing 
this motto on his heart, and with the robe of justice float- 
ing around him, he wore a civic crown, composed of the 
olive branch, entwined and bound with an argent fillet, 
on which was inscribed, “ Glaclius corpus , sed nefitas 
mentam vulnerat ” — (The sword wounds the body — truth 
the mind). Near him was a stately arbor, formed by the 
arching branches of the elm and myrtle, interlaced with 
vines, and through the osier trellis of a fine summer 
retreat were seen a Bible and the Constitution of the 
United States engrossed on parchment, lying on the table. 

The genius, who seemed recently to have been reposing 
there, was in the attitude of advancing forward, with his 
right hand laid on the hilt of a splendid sword which hung 
in his belt, and his eye sternly pursuing an object almost 
hid in impervious shades on his right ; but on nearer in- 
spection, could be discovered. Huge and terrific, it ap- 
peared doubtful whether man or monster, and its dress 
and countenance were assimilated to the deepest shade, 
to which it seemed anxious at this time to escape. Yet, 
18 


410 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


agreeable to the vulgar idea, that ghosts and goblins are 
always encompassed with supernatural appearances, this 
monster, if a human figure can be sufficiently hideous to 
bear the name, was encircled with pale and livid light, 
and on his breast, in letters of sulphurious flame, was 
visible the word Intolerance. 

I rejoiced to see the hideous monster fly before the 
genius of my country, and thus, I trust, it will ever be, 
while the favor of heaven is extended to us as a people. 

I rejoice and bless God that to-day, more than at any 
previous time, this double-headed monster of civil and 
spiritual despotism flies before the genius of my country. 
Thus may it ever be, until despotism, in every form, is 
driven from this earth, until Christian commonwealths are 
established in every land, by the free choice of the people, 
— a “ government of the people, by the people, and for 
the people,” — until Christ, our Redeemer, is everywhere 
recognized as the mediatorial king, having the rule over 
all nations. 

We owe it, then, to our revolutionary patriots and sires, 
— we owe it to ourselves and the generations coming after 
us, — we owe it to the down-trodden and the oppressed of 
every land, — we owe it to God, whom our fathers rever- 
enced and trusted, and whom we acknowledge as our God, 
to transmit the sacred boon of liberty, civil and religious, 
and our free republic unimpaired to the latest generations. 

Any want of fidelity to God and the rights of man, — 
any want of confidence in the great underlying and benign 
principles of our constitution, — any want of disposition 
to carry out those principles,— any want of patriotic de- 
votion to our own country as a Free and Independent 
Republic, based upon the Gospel of Jesus Christ 
our Lord, is Treason against God and Humanity ! 


DANIEL. 


411 


THE FLAGr. 

The structure of the national flag was significant. The 
resolution of Congress, passed July 14, 1777, was “that 
the flag of the United States be thirteen stripes, alternate 
red and white — that the union be thirteen white stars on 
blue field, representing a new constellation. ’ 5 The thirteen 
stripes on the flag represent the thirteen states, the same 
number of stars upon the blue field, placed in a circle, 
represent a new constellation, which alludes to the new 
empire formed in the world by an union of states. Their 
position in form of a circle denotes the perpetuity of its 
continuance, the ring being the symbol of eternity. And 
the eagle placed upon the summit of the staff is emblem- 
atical of the sovereignty of the government of the United 
States.” — W m. Barton, A. M. 


THE MOTTOES. 

It was not without divine guidance that “E Plttribtts 
Unum” stands out as the foundation principle of the re- 
public, so wisely shaped by the noble patriots of the revo- 
lution. It boldly states, as antagonistic to all forms of 
aristocratic and hereditary governments, that one, by the 
free choice of the many, shall be the chief magistrate- of 
the nation. 

Under the same divine guidance the “Ne plus ultra” 
expressed the settled conviction, that a “ government of 
THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, AND FOR THE PEOPLE,” is 

the best possible form, and that there is nothing superior 
to it. 

“Esto perpetua,” “ be thou perpetual,” is not only 
the ardent prayer of every true patriot, but is in life- 
sympathy with the prophetic revelations given to Daniel 


412 ! 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


of the march of empires, and the establishment of theo- 
cratic republics, the form of government “ which shall 
never be destroyed, nor be left to other people, but shall 
break in pieces and consume all these (aristocratic) king- 
doms, and it shall stand forever.” 


THE HYMN. 


“My country! ’tis of thee, 

Sweet land of liberty, 

Of thee I sing; 

Land where my fathers died ! 

Land of the pilgrims pride ! 

From every mountain side 
Let freedom ring ! 

My native country, thee — 

Land of the noble free — 

Thy name I love ; 

I love thy rocks and rills, 

Thy sweet and templed hills : 

My heart with rapture thrills 
Like that above. 

* * * * * 

Our fathers’ God to Thee, 

Author of liberty, 

To Thee we sing ; 

Long may our land be bright, 

With freedom’s holy light, 

Protect us by thy might, 

Great God, otjr King.” — S. F. Smith. 


WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 
Christ’s Method with a Sinner. 


p. 413 



WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 


CHRIST’ S METHOD WITH A SINNER. 


In one of the journeys of onr Lord from Jndeato Gali- 
lee, it is said, “lie must needs go through Samaria.” As 
Samaria lay between Judea on the south, and Galilee on 
the north, and extended from the Mediterranean sea on 
the west, to the river Jordan on the east, there was a ne- 
cessity to. pass through Samaria, unless he should take 
a much longer and circuitous, and less frequented route, 
on the eastern side of the Jordan. In view, however, of 
the intensely interesting incident which took place on this 
journey, we can hardly escape the conviction, that the 
divine purpose of mercy towards a particular woman of 
Samaria, and the introduction of the gospel in that region, 
necessitated this journey at this time, and by this particu- 
lar route. The meeting of Christ on this day, at the well 
of Jacob, was not accidental, but a part of the intelligent 
and well arranged plan of God. This degraded and lost 
sinner is brought in contact with the Messiah, and her 
soul saved. It is this, with the teachings of Christ, and 
the immediate results, that gives such intensity of interest 
to this journey. Because it illustrates the outworking and 
consummation of the divine compassion ; it is recorded 
upon the inspired page. It stands there as a lesson to all 
the ages, of the method of our Lord in dealing with an 
ignorant and careless sinner. It is a testimony to the power 
of love to win. even the most abandoned. It is the en- 

p. 415 


416 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


couragement to labor for the salvation, even of those who 
are regarded as the most hopeless. 


PLACE OF MEETING. 

“Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called 
Sychar.” This was one of the oldest and most memora- 
ble of the cities of Palestine, being distant thirty-four 
miles north from Jerusalem. Its most ancient name was 
Shechem. Here the Lord appeared unto Abraham, say- 
ing, “ unto thy seed will I give this land, and there budd- 
ed he an altar unto the Lord.” — Gen. 12 : 6, 7. Here 
Jacob pitched his tent, and bought a parcel of a field.” — 
Gen. 33 : 18, 19. “ The bones of Joseph, which the chil- 

dren of Israel brought out of Egypt — buried they in 
Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of 
the sons of Hamor.” — Joshua 24 : 32. After the con- 
quest, in the dividing of the land, it belonged to the tribe 
of Ephraim, and was designated as one of the cities of 
refuge. — Joshua 20 : 7. Its situation was peculiar, being 
between Ebal and Gerezim, the mountains on which the 
blessings and the curses were uttered. — Heut. 11 : 29 ; 27 : 
11-26 ; 28 : 1. This was one of the most grand and im- 
pressive scenes the world has ever witnessed. All the 
tribes were here gathered. Six of the tribes were “ over 
against Mount Gerezim,” and six were “over against 
Mount Ebal.” When from Gerezim, the blessing for 
obedience to the law were read ; all the people said amen. 
When from Ebal, the curses denounced against disobe- 
dience to the law were read, all the people said amen. 
Thus they adopted the law of the Lord, for their national 
constitution. Here Joshua, just before his death, “gath- 
ered all the tribes of Israel,” and recapitulated to them 
the history of God’s benefits from the days of Zerah on- 
ward j renewed the covenant between them and God, and 


WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 


417 


set up a great stone of witness.”— Josh. 24 : 1. After the 
death of Gideon, it became the place for the idolatrous 
worship of Baalberith, and was destroyed by Abimelech. 
— Judges 9 : 45, 46. Here, Rehoboam came to be made 
king, and by his arrogance, gave occasion for the ten 
tribes to revolt. Here, Jeroboam set up his throne, and 
drew away the ten tribes from the worship of the true 
God. — 1 Kings, 12 : 1. 

When the city of Samaria was destroyed by Shalmane- 
zer, Shechem became the capital, and so continued, ac- 
cording to Josephus, in the time of Alexander the Great, 
by whose permission a temple was built upon Mount 
Gerezim. By the Romans it was called Flavia Neapolis, 
which the Arabs have corrupted into Napolis, by which 
it is known at the present time. It is still a place of con- 
siderable importance, as the soil is very productive, and 
the site is remarkably pleasant. 


THE WELL. 

It was near this city that the meeting of Christ with the 
woman of Samaria took place. It was at a well-known 
parcel of ground which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. — 
Josh. 24 : 32. This place was memorable for the reputed 
fact, that “ Jacob’s well was there.” We find no record, 
in the Old Testament, that a well was excavated here by 
this patriot. The thing is very probable, as it would be 
a necessity for the large flocks and herds possessed by 
Jacob. Tradition handed down the fact from sire to son 
through the succeeding generations. That a remarkable 
well exists in this precise locality, at the present time, is 
certified by many reliable travelers. It is said that the 
Empress Helena built a chapel, in the form of a cross, 
over this well. This, by the tooth of time, assisted mainly 
by the hand of the Turks, lyave left nothing but a few 


V 



p. 418 


«• 


JACOB’S WELL. 






WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 


419 


foundations in ruins. Maundrel says, “ Tlie well is cov- 
ered at present with an old stone vault, into which you 
are let down by a very strait hole, and then removing a 
broad flat stone, you discover the well itself. It is digged 
in a firm rock, and is about three yards in diameter, and 
thirty-five in depth, five of which we found full of water.” 
Our present interest does not center upon either the an- 
tiquity, or original owner, or local peculiarities of this 
well, but upon the conversation between the Messiah and 
this woman who came there to draw water. 

“ Jesus being wearied with his journey, sat on the well; 
and it was about the sixth hour.” How far he had walked 
that morning we are not told, or from what part of Judea 
he departed, but it was far enough to produce weariness. 
It being about noon, the usual hour for the Jewish meal, 
he sends his disciples into the city of Sychar “to buy 
meat.” There was wisdom and arrangement in this mis- 
sion for provision, as it left the Lord alone at the well 
when the woman came. Christ knew the almost invinci- 
ble reluctance of sinners to be interrogated on the subject 
of personal religion in the presence of others. But when 
alone they will, generally, freely respond. Knowing this, 
and that the woman would at this time come, he sent his 
disciples away to be absent sufficiently long to allow him 
to finish his interview. 


KINDNESS. 


u Jesus saith unto her, give me to drink.” By asking 
this favor he propitiated her. The simplest favor asked 
of an angry man, being an acknowledgement of his ability 
and generosity, will generally overpower the wrath. Had 
the Lord maintained silence, and scornfully demanded to 
be served, he would have aroused hatred, a state of mind 
hostile to all salutary impressions. He asked a favor of 


420 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


her which she might grant or refuse, but which appealed 
to her generosity, and thus he propitiated her. Being a 
Jew, he had no social claim upon her courtesy. He did 
not ask authoritatively, but with kindness— with a coun- 
tenance free from all scorn, not marked by the passions 
of his countrymen, but beaming with benevolence. She 
was impressed with this absence of all pride and expressed 
superiority, and said, “ how is it, that thou, being a Jew, 
asketh drink of me which am a woman of Samaria ? For 
the Jews have no dealings, (intercourses of friendship,) 
with the Samaritans.” She practically understood the 
intensity of hatred with which the Samaritans were re- 
garded by the Jews. She perhaps had experienced their 
haughty, domineering contempt. This feud was deep, 
and of long standing. It was partly political, and partly 
religious. The Samaritans occupied the territory former- 
ly belonging to the tribe of Ephraim, and the talf-tribe 
of Manasseh. The population was composed of a small 
portion of the ten tribes which had been carried away 
into captivity, and a mixture of foreigners sent there by 
the king of Assyria. These brought with them their idols. 
Being partially instructed in the Jewish religion, by a 
Jewish priest sent from Babylon, they mingled the two 
systems, and embraced a religion made up of Judaism 
and idolatry. When the larger body of the Jews returned 
from their captivity, and commenced the rebuilding of the 
temple at Jerusalem, the Samaritans offered to aid them. 
The Jews, perceiving that it was not from any religious 
or purely patriotic motive, but that they might equally 
share with them, in their separate organization, in the 
favors granted by Cyrus, rejected the proposed assistance. 
Disappointed in their plan, they became enemies, bitter 
and determined enemies. They used all the means in 
their power to thwart the noble work of Nehemiah. 

When Alexander the Great, granted the Samaritans 
permission to build a temple, they erected it upon Mount 


WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 


421 


Gerezim. They contended that this was the place desig- 
nated by Moses. They received and acknowledged only 
the five books of Moses as binding, and rejected all the 
other Scriptures. Sanballet, their leader, ignoring the 
Jewish priesthood, constituted his son-in-law High Priest. 
Thus their type of religion became organized. Thus altar 
was set up against altar. These causes, operating through 
many generations, produced great irritation and irrecon- 
cilable differences. The Jews looked down upon the 
Samaritans with contempt and loathing. They regarded 
them not as Jews, the chosen people of God, but as the 
most worthless and degraded of the human race. The in- 
tensity of this contempt was manifested when the Jews 
answered Jesus, “ say we not well that thou art a Samari- 
tan and hast a devil — John 8 : 48. This woman was 
not ignorant of this intense feeling. How great then was 
her surprise, when he asked of her a favor, knowing, as 
he did, that she was a Samaritan. This propitiated her, 
subdued her prejudices and animosities, awakened kind 
feelings, and opened her heart. There is great power in 
a kind and courteous manner, when we would reclaim the 
wandering. 


“ Speak gently — it is better far 
To rule by love than fear; 

Speak gently — let no harsh word mar 
The good we may do here. 

Speak gently to the erring ones — 
They must have toiled in vain ; 
Perchance unkindness made them so ; 
Oh, win them back again. 

Speak gently — ’tis a little thing, 
Dropped in the heart’s deep well ; 
The good, the joy, that it may bring, 
Eternity shall tell.” — Bates. 


422 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


There is really more of faithfulness in a gentle, loving 
manner, than in one that is harsh and condemnatory. 
This latter, as human nature is, always awakens opposi- 
tion, and hardens the heart to repel. 

Among those who are socially our equals, a favor asked 
of one who has feelings of estrangement, will generally 
dissipate those feelings, and restore friendship. When 
we would do good to those in an inferior station, if we 
ask some small favor, or if we manifest an interest in their 
occupation, and solicit information in some department 
of it, the result will be happy. It is an implied admission 
of their superiority in this particular. This appeal dis- 
arms the emotions which otherwise would be repellant. 


CURIOSITY AWAKENED. 

Curiosity is an original element of our mental constitu- 
tion. It was placed there wisely, and is capable of im- 
mense power for good. It, like other mental faculties, has 
been perverted to evil. It is not to be condemned as only 
evil, because Satan so successfully uses it. True, through 
the fine arts, — literature and various other ways, he fasci- 
nates, deludes, and, step by step, leads on the curious,— 
the unwary, to their ruin. So far from abandoning to 
him the sole use of this power, it should be turned to its 
legitimate use, and thus prevent or counteract his mali- 
cious agency. The sacred writers make use of it to 
awaken interest, to stimulate inquiry, and to secure val- 
uable results. An illustrious example is the case of the 
prophet Nathan, in his simple touching story of the ewe 
lamb. By it, he awakened a deep interest in the mind of 
David. By it, he illustrated the meanness and wicked- 
ness of the rich man who had many flocks, but who stole 
this one pet lamb. By it, he so stirred the sense of justice, 
that ‘ ‘ David’ s anger was greatly kindled against the man ; 


WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 


423 


and he said to Nathan, as the Lord liveth, the man that 
hath done this thing shall surely die ; and he shall restore 
the lamb four fold, because he had no pity.” When 
Nathan said “ thou art the man,” David’s iniquity flashed 
up before him. He stood convicted and condemned. He 

acknowledged his sin, repented, and was forgiven. 2 

Sam. 12 : 1. 

Our blessed Lord, in his parables, appealed to this ele- 
ment. He excited it in the woman of Samaria. By it 
he stimulated inquiry, and prepared the way for the re- 
ception of truths which were saving. “ Jesus said unto 
her, if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that 
saith to thee, give me to drink ; thou wouldst have asked 
of him, and he would have given thee living water. ’ ’ These 
were indeed strange statements. What does he mean by 
the gift of God ? Who is this stranger ? I know he is a 
Jew. Why then say, “if thou knewest who it is that 
saith to thee give me to drink, thou wouldst have asked 
of him, and he would have given thee living water.” 
Surely this well is living water. It is not dead, like that 
confined in a cistern. It is living water, it springs up 
fresh every moment. What does the man mean ? I am 
curious to know. Supposing that he meant the water of 
this well, she saith unto him ; sir, thou hast nothing to 
draw with, and the well is deep.” Being not quite cer- 
tain that he meant this well, she added, “from whence, 
then, hast thou that living water?” Not satisfied in her 
mind who this stranger was, who spake of living water ; 
her curiosity being intensified, she asks, ‘ ‘ art thou greater 
than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank 
thereof himself, and his children?” Are you more in 
favor with God than was he? Have you more power 
than Jacob had ? He, by hard labor, dug this well that he 
might have water for his necessities. Can you create water ? 
To these questions the Lord made no reply, He still 
more excited her curiosity, by stating the wonderful pe- 


424 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


culiarity of the water lie could give her. “ Whosoever 
drinketh of this (well) water, shall thirst again ; but who- 
soever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall 
never thirst ; but the water that I shall give him, shall be 
in him a well of water, springing up to everlasting life.” 
This filled her with wonder. On another occasion, Jesus 
said, 4 £ if any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. 
He that believeth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers 
of living water. This spake he of the Spirit which they 
that believe on him should receive.” — Job. 7: 37-39. 
This woman, rousing from her amazement, and being im- 
pressed with the immense superiority of this new water, 
and of its desirableness for her, said unto him, “sir, give 
me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to 
draw.” 


CONSCIENCE PROBED. 

Having awakened inquiry, and intensified desire for a 
good of which she felt herself to be in need, the Lord, who 
was perfectly acquainted with her character, said unto 
her, 4 4 go, call thy husband, and come hither. 5 ’ As though 
he would intimate, I cannot reveal the secret of this won- 
derful water, except in the presence of your husband. 
So earnest and intense was her desire to possess this wa- 
ter, that she promptly replied, “I have no husband.” 
Fastening his mild, though deep searching eye upon her, 
he said, 44 thou hast well said, I have no husband; for 
thou hast had five husbands ; and he whom thou now 
hast is not thy husband ; in that thou saidst truly.” This 
statement reveals the character of this woman. It is not 
probable that five times she had become a widow, by the 
death of five husbands. The most reasonable conjecture 
is, that she had been divorced, in accordance with the 
then lax and unscriptural usages of the Jews. Or, it may 


WOJ.IAN OF SAMAEIA. 


425 


be that she had left them for other men. At the time of 
this interview, she was living in adultery. “For he 
whom thou now hast is not thy husband.” According 
to the world’ s estimate, nay, the estimate of the visible 
church of Christ, she was not a hopeful subject, but was 
emphatically a sinner. The Lord did not thus judge. 
He knew she had a conscience, and that her moral sense 
would respond to the teachings of God’s word, if, with 
fidelity and the tenderness of love, it was pressed upon 
her. Our Lord knew that to such, the gospel, with its 
proclamation of pardon to the chief of sinners, was a nov- 
elty, and fell upon their ears with freshness, inspiring 
hope. Such, though great sinners, are not generally 
gospel-hardened. They do not wrap themselves up in 
their morality, as a robe of righteousness, as multitudes 
of respectable sinners do. Hence, saith the Lord, ‘ ‘ pub- 
licans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before ” 
such. — Mat. 21 : 31. 

How the words of Christ, to this woman, stirred up 
memory, that faithful custodian of all thoughts and ac- 
tions, and brought all her past life into fearful review. 
How they quickened conscience, and waked up self-con- 
demnation. How she felt that this was no common man. 
He had compelled her, by his perfect knowledge of her 
whole life, to call back her sins, her whole life of sinning. 
She acknowledges his superiority. “ Sir, I perceive that 
thou art a prophet.” Hot one who reveals the future, 
but “a teacher come from God,” endowed with the his- 
tory of my whole life. She felt that it was God speaking 
to her by this man. Thus every convicted sinner feels. 
It is God, through the ministry of his word, searching the 
heart, bringingup all past sins, to become a present accus- 
ing and condemning power. It is a state of great mental 
activity and distress when the conscience is vivified, and 
takes note of sin as a violation of God’s holy, just and 
good law, and feels that the condemnation and the penalty 


426 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


are right. “ The word of God is quick, and powerful, 
and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to 
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints 
and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents 
of the heart.” — Heb. 4 : 12. 


SPIRITUAL WORSHIP. 

This woman could not bear the direct pressure of the 
truth. She could not endure the keen cuttings of con- 
science. She could not rest under the pressure of the sins 
of her whole life, now condemning her, and clamorous 
for justice. She strove, therefore, to change the currents 
of her thoughts, and said, “our fathers worshiped in 
this mountain ; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place 
where men ought to worship.” As thou art sent from 
God, and knowest what is required, settle this question 
for me. I will go and worship in the right place. Here 
is an intimation of prompt obedience to the divine will. 
So far as religion, in its external manifestation in that day 
was concerned, this was a question of serious importance. 
God had directed a temple to be built for his honor, in 
which, by sacrifices, he was to be worshiped. We 
Samaritans, the descendants of Ephraim, hold that Gere- 
zim is the proper place for the temple. “Our fathers,” 
the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, “worshiped 
in this mountain.” This for thousands of years has been 
a sacred place. Here Moses commanded the law to be 
read. You Jews condemn us and say, “that in Jerusa- 
lem is the place where men ought to worship.” We are 
honest in our belief. Settle this long disputed question, 
and tell me where I must go. Important as this question 
seemed to be, and important as it really was, still it was 
not the question which should take priority in the mind 
of an awakened, anxious sinner. To entertain and dis- 


WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 


427 


cuss it at such a time, would peril the salvation of the 
soul. Hence J esus thrust it aside, and pressed home upon 
her conscience true spiritual worship. ‘ ‘ J esus saith unto 
her, woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall 
neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship 
the Father.” I tell you that the time is near, very near, 
when this dispute about the place of worship will have 
no significance, since the economy of which that formed 
so conspicuous a part, is soon to pass away forever. “ Ye 
worship ye know not what.” You have but a small por- 
tion of the revealed word of God. Your religion is a 
medley of Judaism and idolatry. Your worship is crude 
and unintelligent. Not having the prophets and other 
sacred books, you are ignorant and superstitious, and 
whilst acknowledging the true God, you are devoted to 
idols, therefore I say truly, “ ye worship ye know not 
what.” But “we know what we worship.” We have 
all the sacred books, the revelation of God. Therefore 
we know what the only true God has commanded, as to 
the place and the modes of worship. And what is of in- 
finitely more importance we know from the divine revela- 
tion that “salvation is of the Jews.” We know, from 
the prophets and other Scriptures, that the promised 
Messiah, who will bring salvation, is to come out of Ju- 
dah. 

It formed no part of Christ’s design to proselyte her to 
Judaism. He had a higher and nobler aim. He therefore 
instructed her into the nature and necessity of spiritual 
worship, in which the individual soul is brought into di- 
rect contact with God, who is a spirit. ‘ 4 The hour cometh, 
and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the 
Father in spirit and in truth ; for the Father seeketh such 
to worship him.” The time now is, when particular sea- 
sons, and forms, and places of worship shall pass away 
forever. The true worshipers will be known not by their 
devotion to place or temple ; not by their observance of 


428 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


mere external forms, no matter how splendid and costly 
the rites and ceremonies may be, but by the spirituality 
of their worship. The time is, when the wall of separa- 
tion is thrown down, and in all countries — in every place, 
and in all languages, men may worship God. This spirit- 
ual worship demands faith and love. The whole mind, 
the soul and the heart must be in it. With a sincere 
mind, a grateful, loving heart, and a soul wholly dedicated 
to God, we rise through and above all forms, all cere- 
monies and have direct communion with God, ‘ 6 in spirit 
and in truth.” No longer, through the medium of types 
and shadows ; not by means of bleeding victims and 
burnt offerings, but by direct access to the Father, through 
faith in Jesus Christ, the one all-sufficient atonement, who, 
having suffered once for all, ever liveth. Such are the 
true worshipers, and such “ the Father seeketh to worship 
him.” The only reason given for such worship is “God 
is a Spirit.” Having no material bodily form, no image 
or likeness can be made of him. He cannot be made tan- 
gible to our senses. Being a spirit, though invisible, he 
is equally present always, and in every place. Not being 
confined to any place, he may be worshiped everywhere, 
a pure, holy, present God. 

This is the most sublime, yet simple, conception of wor- 
ship ever uttered. It is emphatically the thought of 
Christ ; never before had it been so sharply defined, so 
clearly stated, and presented in so simple a form as to be 
easily apprehended. Spiritual worship which brings 
each individual mind in direct contact with God, is the 
elemental truth which lies at the foundation of all true 
religion. It is the most elevating and ennobling truth 
ever presented to the mind of men or angels. In all the 
ages men have had gross ideas of God. They have set 
up idols and images by which God is made tangible. The 
Bible rebukes this and presents as the only true object of 
worship a pure, benevolent, omnipresent spirit. It for- 


WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 


429 


bids the making of any image or likeness of the supreme 
object of worship. “The Most High dwelleth not in 
temples made with hands.” The only worship accepta- 
ble to him is when the spirit of the worshiper is brought 
into cheerful, willing communion with him. It is the of- 
fering up of the soul, and not the body ; it is the deep, 
grateful homage of the heart, and not the service of the 
lips. It has no confidence in any, nor all mere external 
forms and ceremonies, as in themselves efficacious. It rec- 
ognizes only this one sublime thought, that the intelligent, 
conscious, immortal spirit, must come into living contact 
and sympathy with God— “ a Spirit infinite, eternal, and 
unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, jus- 
tice, goodness and truth.” 


MESSIAH REVEALED. 

The declaration that spiritual worship was the only ac- 
ceptable worship, dashed all the hopes of this woman, 
whether from Gerezim or Jerusalem. It set aside all the 
outward forms and ceremonies on which either Jews or 
Samaritans relied. It pushed up her soul, now burdened 
with conscious guilt, into the immediate presence of the 
holy God. This was the pressure of trouble, a guilty 
soul in the presence of the holy God. This was heavier 
trouble than when Christ told her of all her sins. Then 
she thought she stood before only a prophet, a man sent 
from God, but now she felt that she was standing before 
God himself. Then she sought relief, by turning aside 
to a disputed question as to the place of worship. But 
now conscious, that in her guilt she could not stand be- 
fore God ; she seeks relief by referring to what Jesus had 
said, that “salvation is of the Jews ;” — that the promised 
Messiah must come of the Jews ; she “saith unto him, I 
know that a Messiah cometh, which is called Christ ; when 


430 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


he is come, he will tell ns all things.” The Samaritans 
seemed to have had correct views of the character of the 
Messiah. From the five books of Moses, which constitu- 
ted their Scriptures, they read: “I will raise them up a 
prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, 
(Moses), and I will put my words in his mouth ; and he 
shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”— 
Deut. 18 : 18. Not having the prophetic books which set 
forth the kingly dignity of the Messiah, they regarded 
him only as a Saviour, probably with very indistinct views 
as to the precise nature of the salvation. Whilst their 
Scriptures assured them that the Messiah should come, 
they gave no intimation of the time of his appearing. But 
Daniel and other prophets made mention of the time and 
the place of his coming. Hence, there was a general ex- 
pectation among the Jews, that the Messiah would, at 
that time, appear. In this expectation, the Samaritans 
would naturally sympathize. Such, in part, was the 
ground of her confidence, when she said, “I know that 
Messiah cometh.” But this was not the whole. She 
then had such consciousness of her guilt, and of her need 
of help, other than her own or all human power, that, 
taught by the Spirit, she felt her need of a Saviour, to 
stand between her guilty soul and the holy God — her need 
of an atonement higher and more efficient than all bleed- 
ing sacrifices of bulls and goats— her need of some di- 
vine mercy to meet her deep necessities as a lost sinner. 
Her laboring heart, oppressed with sin, reached out long- 
ing for help, and found comfort as her faith trembled into 
confidence; “I know that Messiah cometh, which is 
called Christ ; he will tell us all things.” She recognizes 
him as the supreme teacher, and implies her willingness 
to obey his teachings. Here is submission to the divine 
will. Here are the out-croppings of faith in the way of 
salvation, through and by the Messiah promised. The 
“ bruised reed he would not break — the smoking flax he 


WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 


431 


would not quench — he would bring forth judgment unto 
truth.” Therefore, “ Jesus saith unto her, I that speak 
unto thee am he.” What a thrill of wonder and of 
joy leaped through her heart, and thrilled along every 
nerve. It must be true what he says. His knowledge of 
all my life — his perfect acquaintance with all my sins, 
proves that he is divine. His bearing with me, knowing 
me to be a vile, degraded sinner : his instructing me in the 
ways of spiritual worship, and now the revelation of him- 
self as the Messiah, is proof of the generous mercy of his 
heart. I know he loves me, notwithstanding all my past 
sins. 


“I am so glad that Jesus loves me 
Even me.” 

“Jesus loves me, and I know I love him.” 

She gave prompt evidence of her love and discipleship. 
Knowing what she had experienced of his forgiving love, 
her heart was full of gladness. True joy is never selfish. 
She had found “the Messiah, which is called Christ.” 
She could not enjoy him all alone. Spiritual joy is al- 
ways benevolent. She remembered her many friends and 
neighbors who knew him not, but who needed his salva- 
tion. Forgetting the errand for which she came, she 
“left her water pot and went her way into the city, 
and saith to the men, come, see a man which told me all 
things that ever I did : is not this the Christ?” Love to 
Christ always works love to men. It longs and labors to 
bring others to Christ. When Andrew found Christ, ‘ 4 he 
first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, 
we have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, 
the Christ, and he brought him to Jesus.” — John 1 : 40. 
The next day “Philip findeth Nathaniel and saith unto 
him, we have found him of whom Moses in the law and 
the'prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, and he brought 
him to Jesus.” Christian love, whilst unlimited in its 


432 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


range, does not overlook social and blood relations, but 
kindles around them with the intensest throes of affec- 
tion. 

This woman, a converted and loving disciple, brought 
others, many others, to Christ, and illustrates the value 
of prompt individual labor. 

This woman was the first person to whom Christ reveal- 
ed himself as the Messiah. It was not to the Scribes and 
the Pharisees, not to the dignitaries of the church, not to 
any of the distinguished among the Jews, but to this 
woman, a sinner, a degraded sinner, of a despised and 
hated race, that he said “I that speak unto thee am he.” 
The next occasion was to the man born blind, whose eyes 
he opened, but whom the Pharisees condemned, reviled, 
and cast out, but to him Christ said, dost thou believe on 
the Son of God ? Who is the Lord that I might believe 
on him? Jesus said “thou hast both seen him, and it is 
he that talketh with thee.” “Lord I believe, and he 
worshiped him.” — John 9^ 35-38. Thus will it always 
be. The Lord passeth by the proud and the lofty, and 
reveals himself to the meek and the lowly. “Hot many 
wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many 
noble, are called.” — 1 Cor. 1 : 26. “I thank thee, O 
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid 
these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed 
them unto babes.” — Mat. 11 : 25. 


THE DISCIPLES. 

Just at the close of this interview the disciples, who 
had been sent into the city to procure provisions, return- 
ed. When they noticed what he had done, “they mar- 
velled that he talked with the woman.” Not that he 
talked with a woman, but a Samaritan woman. They, as 
Jews, felt contempt for every Samaritan. They judged 


WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 


433 


that Christ also had the same feelings. They saw that 
he had not, and they marvelled. They did not then un- 
derstand that God was no respecter of persons. They 
did not then understand that Christ, in the benevolent 
Teachings of his heart over the lost, rose superior to all 
social distinctions and national prejudices, and cordially 
welcomed every penitent sinner. Though they marvelled 
they durst not reprove him, even by their looks of sur- 
prise. “No man said, what seeketh thou ? or, why talk- 
eth thou with her ?” 

They spread the provision, and “prayed him, saying, 
master, eat.” Instead of complying, he “said unto them, 
I have meat to eat that ye know not of.” This was un- 
intelligible to them. Understanding his words in a natu- 
ral sense, they “ said one to another, hath any man brought 
him aught to eat?” They knew of no way of staying 
hunger and satisfying its natural cravings, but by eating 
food. They did not then comprehend the power of high 
mental excitement to suspend, for the time being, ail the 
cravings of hunger. Christ relieves their perplexity. 
“My meat is to do the will of him who sent me, and to 
finish his work.” The will of the Father was, that he 
should seek and save the lost. For this he came to this 
world. This was his work. It now pressed him. The 
favoring time had come. More could be done then, in 
an hour, than in months and years when things are not 
propitious. He illustrates his meaning. “Say not ye, 
there are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest.” 
As, in the natural world, so in the spiritual, ye suppose 
that considerable time must elapse between the sowing 
and the reaping, and therefore there is no call for imme- 
diate energetic labor. I tell you it is not so. He that 
soweth the good word in faith reapeth promptly. The 
harvest is then always ready to be gathered. “Behold I 
say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields ; 
for they are white already to harvest.” Christ sat upon 


434 


BT3LE PRINCIPLES. 


the well facing the city from whence the disciples had 
just come. They stood before him with their backs to the 
city. They did not see what he then saw, the multitude 
of the people crowding, with anxious haste, to see and 
hear him. Therefore he said, look, see these immortal 
beings — these degraded Samaritans — these lost sinners, 
pressing their way, stirred into anxiety and expectation 
by the report of the woman who has sown the good seed 
among them. Wonder not that I cannot now eat. Now 
is the time to reap and save the ripened harvest. “He 
that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life 
eternal.” He that conducts others to heaven, receiveth 
wages, the gracious reward of their fidelity. Thus ‘ ‘ he 
that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.” 
Withhold prompt labor now, and the harvest will perish. 
I must work now, work promptly, and gather in this 
ripened harvest. “He which converteth the sinner from 
the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and 
shall hide a multitude of sins.” — Jas. 5 : 20. Of Paul and 
Barnabus it is written, “ It came to pass in Iconium, that 
they went both together into the Synagogue of the Jews, 
and so spake , that a great multitude both of the Jews and 
also of the Greeks believed.” — Acts 14 : 1. “ So spake” 

There is a divine manner as well as a divine message. 
When these are united the result is certain. The Holy 
Spirit will always honor his own revealed truth when it is 
presented in the divine manner. What is this divine 
manner ? Of Barnabus it is recorded “ for he was a good 
man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith : and much 
people was added unto the Lord.” — Acts 11: 24 The 
essentials for the divine manner, are genuine piety, un_ 
wavering confidence in the immediate power of the truth, 
in its adaptation to man as an intelligent, accountable be- 
ing, and being filled with the Holy Ghost. Having these 
qualifications he preaches with expectation that the reap- 
ing will immediately follow the sowing. The preacher 


WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 


435 


thus intent — thus direct, this confidence, not in himself, 
but in the promise, “lo, I am with you,” has a power 
which arrests and fixes attention, whilst the word, “the 
sword of the spirit, is quick and powerful, is a dis- 
cerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The 
Spirit is always present to bless his own word when thus 
spoken. “The manifestation of the Spirit is given to 
every man to profit withal.” — 1 Cor. 12 : 7. 


REVIVAL. 

“And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on 
him for the saying of the woman, which testified, he told 
me all things that ever I did.” Here are wonderful re- 
sults flowing directly from this one conversation with one 
careless sinner. Here we see what the fidelity and loving 
heart of one disciple accomplished. She simply told the 
facts which convinced her that he, whom she met at the 
well, was the promised Messiah. Her earnest, confident, 
loving manner, carried conviction to those who heard her, 
that she spoke the truth, and that she wanted them to 
come to see and hear Jesus for themselves. She led them, 
a great many of them to J esus. 4 ‘ So when the Samaritans 
were come unto him, they besought him that he would 
tarry with them.” It was a rule with Christ, not to tarry 
where he was not wanted, and cordially welcomed. He 
would force neither himself nor his salvation upon those 
who were unwilling to receive him and his gospel. When 
the Gadarenes prayed him to depart out of their coasts, 
he immediately left them. When the two disciples ‘ 4 drew 
nigh unto the village, (Emmaus,) whither they went, he 
(Christ) made as though he would have gone further.” 
As so he would if they had not had the Christian courtesy 
to invite him to sup and spend the night with them. 
“ But they constrained him, saying, abide with us : for it 


436 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he 
went in to tarry with them.” In the breaking of bread 
they knew him. The Samaritans cordially desiring it, 
4 4 he abode with them two days. ’ ’ It was his rule to abide 
where he was welcomed, even though it was among the 
outcasts and despised. 

What he said and did during these two days is not re- 
corded, but we have the blessed results. 44 And many 
more believed, because of his own word ; and said unto 
the woman, now we believe, not because of thy saying ; 
for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is 
indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.” This was 
a prompt, frank and full confession of their faith. Whilst 
he was rejected by the Scribes and Pharisees, the chief 
religionists of that day; as also by those of wealth and 
station, the common people heard him gladly; publicans 
and sinners, the scorned and the despised, were gathered 
into his kingdom. 


PERMANENT RESULTS. 

This revival was permanent in its results. It prepared 
the way for a still more powerful work. When the per- 
secution arose upon the martyrdom of Stephen, and the 
disciples were scattered abroad, 4 4 Philip went down to 
the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. 
And the people with one accord, gave heed unto those 
things which Philip spake.” 44 When they believed 
Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of 
God, they were baptized, both men and women.” 44 And 
there was great joy in that city.”— Acts 8 : 1, 5, 8, 12. 
The seed sown by Christ, and the woman, kept bearing 
good fruit. So great was this revival, that it attracted 
the attention of the Apostles at Jerusalem. 4 4 They sent 
unto them Peter and John ; who, when they were come 


WOMAN OF SAMAEIA. 


437 


down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy 
Ghost.” “And they, when they had testified and 
preached the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem, 
and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samari- 
tans.” — Acts 8: 14, 25. 

W e are taught never to despair in doing good, even 
under circumstances which, to human judgment, are dis- 
couraging, if not apparently hopeless. It is the glory of 
Christianity, that it has sympathyfor, and seeks after the 
lost. It reaches after the lowest and most degraded. 
The more degraded, the greater the glory when it plucks 
such sinners, as brands from the burning, cleanses them 
from their pollutions, and raises them up to a life of 
purity and usefulness. Such sinners saved, will shine 
as gems in the crown of the Redeemer. 

There is more hope for such than for those who have 
already hardened their hearts by rejecting Christ; who 
have resisted and grieved the Holy Spirit, and who have 
settled down into a contented respectability. To such, 
the gospel has no new appeals. But to the sinners who 
visit not the sanctuary, who have heard little or nothing 
of a Saviour, and who have known little or nothing of 
the strivings of the Spirit, the appeals of the Gospel are 
new, and when borne to them by loving hearts, they come 
with freshness and with power. It is all new and won- 
derful. Neither self-righteousness nor a satisfied morali- 
ty folds around them as a shield to ward off the arrows 
of conviction, or blunt the sword of the Spirit. They 
know that they are sinners, and that they need salvation. 
To such, the assurance is astounding, that “though their 
sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow ; though 
they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” — Isa. 1 : 
18. That “the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from 
all sin.” — 1 John, 1 : 7. And that “whosoever will, may 
take of the water of life freely.” — Rev. 22 : 17. 

It is a field of promise. Into it the Saviour went and 


438 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


reaped abundantly. Into it the Apostles and early Chris- 
tians went and gathered a full harvest. Let no one say, 
I can do nothing. I am too obscure and of feeble talent. 
The power is not in you, but in the Lord who died for 
you, and has forgiven your sins. He has given to you 
an experience of his love which you may and can tell to 
others for their encouragement. It is no harder for Christ 
to save others than it was to save you. “The joy of the 
Lord is your strength.” With the joy of salvation in 
your heart you can so speak that sinners will believe what 
you say, and you may lead them to Christ, who will par- 
don all their sins, and write their names in the book of 
life. 


READER. 

If we would be wise to win souls, we must study and 
understand human nature in its diversified phases. The 
same method will not do for all. Christ, with nice dis- 
crimination, varied his treatment according to the intelli- 
gence, condition and mental peculiarities of each person. 
His method with Hicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, and in- 
structed in the Scriptures, was not the same as with the 
woman of Samaria. Every man has his special tempta- 
tions and easily besetting sins. Prayerfully study human 
nature in the open Bible. From that book we may learn 
more of the true mental philosophy than from all other 
teachings. In that book God, who so wonderfully made 
the mind, with all its diverse properties, addresses man, 
presenting the truth, in perfect accordance with the men- 
tal laws he has established. Take, for example, the four 
gospels, carefully follow Christ in his parables and other 
teachings, annalize his treatment of different persons, both 
enemies and friends, and you will be instructed into a 
practical knowledge of human nature. Hot that the Bible 


WOMAN OF SAMARIA. 


439 


was given to teach mental philosophy, but that whilst re- 
vealing the divine will and recording the operations of 
providence, it never errs in addressing man by arguments 
and motives in perfect harmony with the laws of the mind. 
W e must study the Bible if we would learn human nature, 
and successfully teach others. Study it not to treasure 
up in memory only the words of Scripture, but to under- 
stand the application of its saving truths to men, so diver- 
sified in their entanglements in sin. 

If we would “ be steadfast, unmovable, always abound- 
ing in the work of the Lord,” we must have unyielding 
confidence in the power and adaptation of revealed truth, 
for the purpose for which it was revealed. Knowing it 
to be “the sword of the Spirit,” we must wield it, and 
not our own theories, believing that it is “quick and 
powerful, a discerner of the thoughts and interests of the 
heart.” Our confidence must be unshaken in the plan of 
salvation, through the atonement of Jesus Christ, as the 
only hope for the lost, and as sufficient for the purging 
away of all sin. There must not be the trembling of a 
doubt of the readiness and efficiency of the Holy Spirit, 
to bless his own revealed truth. Revealed truth, simple 
and undiluted, and that alone is perfectly adapted to man, 
as an accountable being. It speaks to his intellect, his 
heart, his conscience, and his will. It, and only it, meets 
his wants as a lost sinner. 

With Paul, we must not be ashamed of the gospel of 
Christ, for it, and only it, is “the power of God unto sal- 
vation.” Hot occasionally, but always and everywhere. 
With him, we must say, “God forbid that I should glory, 
save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the 
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” — Gal. 
6:14. Ho soul is ever saved, but by the power of God 
in the reception of this truth ; Christ, the only and 
efficient Saviour. This must be kept prominent, no 
side questions must be allowed to divert attention whilst 
dealing with the inquiring sinner. 


440 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


It is the law of Christ’s kingdom, that it is mainly ad- 
vanced by the divine blessing on individual effort. The 
command to each Christian is, “go work in my vine- 
yard.” 

The church is the organization of individuals. The men 
and the women who have felt their personal responsibility, 
and under its pressure, have used their talents and oppor- 
tunities to do good, have been the useful men and women of 
their day. Every missionary goes forth as an individual 
laborer, and as such, works in his field. Every Sunday 
School teacher is an individual worker. Every one who 
speaks to his unconverted friends, or writes to them per- 
suasive letters, is an individual worker. Every one who 
prays with wrestling importunity for the conversion of sin- 
ners, and he, who from Christian principle, gives liberally 
of his substance to sustain the laborers in the field, at home 
and abroad, is an individual laborer. In some way, all can, 
and all must work. How beautifully simple is the ma- 
chinery. Every heart that loves Jesus Christ, is imbued 
with the Saviour’ s love of souls. Every such heart loves 
to please and glorify God. ‘ ‘ Herein is my father glorified, 
that ye bear much fruit ; so shall ye be my disciples.” — 
John 15 : 8. Christ is pleased, and the father is glorified 
when Christians heartily labor for the salvation of men. 
Thus the leaven works, and the circle widens, and thus 
the whole lump, the entire world, will be leavened. Glo- 
rious truth, the whole world converted to Christ, by the 
divine blessing upon individual efforts. Relying upon 

THE PROMISED GRACE, LET US BE UP AND DOING. 

“ Give me a faithful heart — likeness to thee, 

That each departing day — henceforth may see 
Some deed of kindness done, some wanderer sought and won, 
Something for thee.” — S. D. Phelps, D. D. 


THE DEMONIAC. 


Three Prayers. 


THE DEMONIAC. 

THREE PRAYERS. 


“Thou shalt bruise bis heel” is the earliest promise 
of a Saviour. And this is the inspired commentary : 
44 For this purpose the son of God was manifested, that 
he might destroy the works of the devil.” From the be- 
ginning there was enmity, intense and irreconcilable. 
This Satan knew ; and knowing would take every advan- 
tage of time and circumstance to damage the cause he 
supremely hated. It would be natural and to be expect- 
ed that, when in the fullness of time, the Son of God 
should appear in the flesh to make the atonement for sin, 
Satan would make unusual demonstrations of his wrath 
and power ; nor is it unreasonable to suppose that God 
would then permit him to have a larger range and to 
manifest greater energy and to do many things unusual, 
that the superior conquering power of Christ might be 
made known. As the mission of our Lord on earth was 
to “destroy the works of the devil,” these victories over 
Satanic power would be the assurance of his final and 
complete triumph. These, at the time, would influence 
and decide many minds, and, as recorded, would, in all 
the ages, cheer and strengthen Christians in their conflicts 
with Satan. These foretell the day 4 4 when he shall have 
put down all rule, and all authority and power. For he 
must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.” 
The fact that, when our Lord was upon the earth, Satan 
had the power to afflict men bodily and mentally, such as 

p. 443 


THE DEMONIAC. 


443 


he has not had since that day, need not disturb the peace 
of any child of God. The unconquerable enmity of the 
devil stands out for our warning. The conquering power 
of Christ folds around us for our cheer and support. 

There has been much speculation on the subject of Sa- 
tanic possession ; and various theories have been adopted 
to account for the statements found on the inspired page. 
It is not necessary to recall them. It seems most rational 
to receive the record as the veritable inventory of facts, 
and to admit the actual power of Satan as therein stated. 
W e prefer the literal interpretation of the passages : that 
in the days of our Lord evil spirits were permitted to 
exercise a special influence over certain persons. This 
influence was distinct from disease and the workings of 
depravity, and the methods of temptation. It overbore 
the reason and the will power, so that the words and ac- 
tions of the victim were beyond his control, and for which 
he was not responsible. This, whilst it made prominent 
the malignity of Satan, he was not allowed by this mode 
of possession, to make the man a criminal. It was a ter- 
ror by which Satan hoped to secure men in voluntary ser- 
vitude to himself. In no instance, where Christ cast out 
the devil, does he condemn or reproach the man for being 
thus possessed. 


THE DEMONIAC. 

The evangelists bring to our notice a very strong case 
of Satanic possession. Mark 5 : 1-21 furnishes the most 
detailed account. The place where this man was found 
was at Gadara, on the south-east coast of the sea of Galilee. 
A few items give his character and his condition, “ a man 
with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the 
tombs.” Excavations in rocky cliffs and hills being 
places for shelter, or for lurking. “ And no man could 


444 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


bind him, no, not with, chains ; because that he had been 
often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had 
been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in 
pieces, neither could any man tame him.” Such was his 
superhuman strength. He was also 44 exceeding fierce,” 
inspiring such dread “that no man might pass by that 
way.” His cries and personal inflictions were terrifying. 
“Always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and 
in the tombs, crying and cutting himself with stones.” This 
grouping presents a picture of extreme wretchedness — of 
hopeless misery. A single word from Christ expelled the 
devils and restored the man to his right mind. “Come 
out of the man thou unclean spirit.” The obedience was 
immediate. This introduces the three prayers. 


PRAYER OF THE DEVILS. 

What! The devils pray ! How can this be? “When 
he,” the demoniac, “saw Jesus afar off, he ran.” A 
power mightier than their own, brought these devils, in- 
carcerated in this man, rapidly to the feet of J esus. 4 4 And 
worshiped him,” not reverential heart worship, but fear 
and the recognition of his power over them. They, speak- 
ing through the mouth of the man said, “what have I to 
do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God?” 
Here is a clear recognition of the divinity of Christ. A 
son necessarily partakes of the distinctive essential nature 
of his father. My son must be of my nature, as really as 
I am of the same human nature of my father. So when 
God says of the Messiah. 44 Thou art my Son, this day 
have I begotten thee.”— Ps. 2 : 7.— And “the only begot- 
ten of the Father.” — John 1 : 14. — 4 4 The only begotten 
Son which is in the bosom of the father.”— John 1 : 18. 
And 4 4 gave his only begotten Son.”— John 3 : 16— there 
can be no reasonable doubt that the term Son denotes 


THE DEMONIAC. 


445 


that Christ was of the same spiritual nature of the Father. 
The Jews so understood it, when they “sought the more 
to kill him, because he said that God was his Father, 
making himself equal with Cod.”— John 5 : 18. It was 
for this that they charged him with blasphemy. No devil 
that I have ever heard of ever denied the supreme divinity 
of Christ. They know too much for that. They have had 
such experience of his divinity that they dare not deny 
it. This is a sin which only men do commit. 4 4 O shame, 
where is thy blush.” 

Recognizing the divinity of Christ the devils as a neces- 
sity recognized his absolute power over them, and said, 

4 4 what have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the 
Most High God V ’ Strange language this for a suppliant. 
It is a proper acknowledgment that there was and could 
be no possible sympathy between them. Wherefore am 
I called out of this man ? 44 1 abjure thee by God.” This 
is more than an asseveration. It is the in tensest form of 
appeal. These legions were in trouble. It is natural to 
pray when in trouble. The dumb animals have their cries 
of distress, by which they plead for help that lies beyond 
themselves. These devils, now in trouble, from which they 
could not deliver themselves, cried, 44 Jesus, thou Son of 
the Most High God, I adjure thee by God, that thou tor- 
ment me not. ” 4 4 1 beseech thee torment me not. ” 44 Art 

thou come hither to torment us before the time.” They 
knew the certainty of their future doom, their close im- 
prisonment, from which, for reasons wise but to us in- 
scrutable, they now have limited freedom. 4 4 The angels 
which kept not their first estate, but left their own habi- 
tation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under dark- 
ness unto the judgment of the great day.” — Jude 6. 

44 God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them 
down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness 
to be reserved unto judgment.” — 2 Pet. 2 : 4. This finali- 
ty they knew, and that when shut up in their prison, the 


448 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


time of their suffering would come when the full vials of 
the wrath of God would be poured out upon them for 
their iniquities. Till then there was a respite. Hence the 
inquiry “ art thou come to torment us before the time?” 

The prayer has two petitions. First . — “And he be- 
sought him much ’that he would not send them away out 
of the country ;” “ that he would not command them to 
go out into the deep.” The word here translated “the 
deep,” signifies the place where wicked spirits are pun- 
ished. It occurs nine times in the H ew Testament. Twice 
it is rendered “the deep,” and seven times “bottomless 
pit.” They pleaded for a longer respite, that they might 
not then be shut up, but be permitted to remain in that 
country. 

If not sent to their prison, what did they care where, 
on this earth, they were -allowed to dwell ? There is evi- 
dence that the grand arch traitor— the supreme devil — 
stations his subordinates with adroit adaptation to differ- 
ent localities, where they can best employ their talents in 
his service. We read in Daniel, 10: 13, “ The prince of 
the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days, 
but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me.” 
That this “ prince of the kingdom of Persia” was the 
local chief of the evil spirits detailed for that country, 
seems evident from what Michael, whom Jude 9 : styles 
“ the archangel,” further said, verse 20, “Knowest thou 
wherefore I came unto thee ? and now I will return to 
fight with the prince of Persia : and when I am gone forth, 
lo, the prince of Grecia will come.” This prince of Gre- 
cia being, as we apprehend, the local chief of the devils 
apportioned to that country. By thus stationing his sub- 
ordinates, under competent leaders, in every part of the 
habitable globe, Satan, by their ready communications, 
has partial compensation for his want of omnipresence 
and omniscience. 

The devils, cast out of this man of Gadara, had studied 


THE DEMONIAC. 


447 


human nature in all its peculiarities among the people of 
that region. They could serve their master there, better 
than any where else. Here, therefore, they desired tore- 
main. That there are special and adroit devils stationed, 
by their great leader, in all the great centers of influence, 
can hardly be doubted. That devils eminent for their work, 
are detailed to Paris, London, Washington, New York, 
New Orleans, Boston, Constantinople, St. Petersburgh, 
Berlin, Vienna, Pome, and all other places from whence 
influences radiate, cannot be doubted. These study hu- 
man nature in these places, under its diversified forms. 
A devil skilled only where the kingly and aristocratic ele- 
ment rules, would be sorely at fault where the democratic 
element is dominant. The devils well trained for Paris, 
London, Washington, Pome, and other capitals of the 
world, would be talents thrown away upon the mountain- 
eers of Switzerland, and other secluded rural populations. 
Wherever the subordinate devils are placed, they become 
keen students, and learn to ply their temptations with 
adroitness and skill. This may have been the motive 
which constrained the devils, ejected from this man, to 
pray that they might not be sent out of that country. 
The subsequent facts show how carefully they had stud- 
ied, and how perfectly they understood the temperament 
of the people of Gadara. 

Their second petition was, £ 6 send us into the swine, that 
we may enter into them.” “ There was nigh unto the 
mountains, a great herd of swine feeding.” There is no 
accounting for tastes, either in men or devils. What pe- 
culiar affinity there was between these devils and swine, 
we are not told, unless their character, “ unclean spirits,” 
cast out of this man, indicates this affinity. Their prayer 
illustrates one strong fact, their readiness to serve their 
master in any work, no matter how foul and degraded. 
Their motive was obvious. It was, that by entering into 
and destroying the swine, they might render Christ odious, 


448 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


and thus prevent any good coming from this miracle of 
healing. They knew, that by the destruction of their 
property, the Gadarenes would become exasperated, and 
under the exciting power of their wrath, they would re- 
ject all the evidences of kindness in the healing. They 
knew that the people would lay the loss of their property 
to Christ, and not to the maliciousness of the devils. 
Blinded by their selfishness, they would argue, that their 
property was safe, so long as the devils remained in this 
fierce man. But that Christ had interfered, and by his 
power had cast them out, and had permitted them to enter 
and destroy the swine ; therefore, he was to blame. They 
overlooked their own violation of the law of Moses, which 
they professed to receive and to keep. The owners of 
this “great herd of swine,”, were probably Jews. For 
Christ confined his -ministrations to that people. They 
were, by the law of Moses, forbidden to eat swine’s flesh, 
and by implication, also forbidden to traffic in it for gain, 
as contact with swine rendered them unclean. Blinded 
by their selfishness, they saw not the mercy to the man, 
and to the whole neighborhood, in being freed from so 
great a source of annoyance and terror, of a man exceed- 
ing fierce, whom no man could tame, and no fetters bind. 
The two petitions of the prayer of the devils, clearly de- 
termine their selfish, evil character. They prayed for 
that which they might use to carry out their wicked de- 
signs. All prayers are not commendable. Still, God 
often answers the prayers of the wicked. 


THE PRAYER OF THE PEOPLE. 

“ They began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.” 
“They besought him to depart from them.” This peti- 
tion, so urgent, and so unanimous, is the more strange 
and criminal, as they had the means of knowing all the 


THE DEMONIAC. 


449 


circumstances of the healing. They had no doubts of 
the previous ferocious character of the man, for he had a 
long time been their dread. They now saw this same 
man entirely changed. Calmly “ sitting and clothed, and 
in his right mind.” They knew by what means he had 
been cured. Some were the personal witnesses, and the 
others learned it from those in whose word they had con- 
fidence. Thus they knew that Christ, by his word of 
command, had instantly and perfectly cured this man ; 
had dispossessed him of the fierce, malignant, unclean 
spirits, and rendered him a peaceful citizen, of whom no 
one need now be afraid. They knew that the ejected 
devils had prayed that they might not be sent out of that 
country, and confined in their deep prison of the bottom- 
less pit. They knew that these devils did enter the great 
herd of two thousand swine, and so infuriated them, that 
they “ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and 
were choked in the sea.” Such were the facts. They 
demonstrated the divine power and benevolence of Christ, 
and the malignant, selfish hate of the devils. It would 
seem that the people, with one accord, would thank him 
for the mercy bestowed upon this healed man, and the 
removal of so terrible a fear and trouble from the neigh- 
borhood, and that they would beseech him, with earnest 
importunity, to remain among them, healing all their 
sick. But so dominant and blinding is selfishness, and 
so strong the love of property, that the very opposite is 
their prayer ; it is to “ depart from them,” — “ depart out 
of their coasts.” Why this strange prayer ? It is writ- 
ten, “ they were afraid.” What did they fear? Was it 
his extraordinary power? If so, it was evidence that 
their conscience convicted them of sin. For it is sin, and 
only sin, that makes cowards of us. 

The holy angels do not quail with fear before the bold- 
er manifestations of the divine power. They know that 
omnipotence is controlled by benevolence. This makes 


450 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


them jubilant when they see the power of God leaping 
forth in some manifestation to them hitherto unknown. 
But Adam, when he sinned and heard the voice of the 
Lord, was afraid and hid himself. 

The people of Gadara, in the healed man, had the evi- 
dence of the benevolence which gave direction to the di- 
vine power. But they only saw that the devils, ejected 
from the ferocious man, had entered and destroyed their 
swine. Their worldly property had been touched. This 
assailed their avarice. It hardened their hearts, and 
staunched every rising of sympathy for the healed man. 
They would rather he should remain exceedingly fierce, 
cutting himself with stones, and a terror to the whole coun- 
try, than that their property should be disturbed. They 
did not so much fear the fierceness of the legion of devils 
in this man as they feared Christ, whose power was per- 
emptory. They were afraid because of conscious guilt. 
This great herd of swine, which they reared, contrary to 
the law, was swept away. Other property might also be 
struck, if this Christ should remain among them. Fear- 
ing and blinded by selfishness they “besought him to 
lQ ave them ;” “to depart out of their coasts.” 


PRAYER OF THE HEALED MAN. 

This is simple, direct and appropriate. When he saw 
that Christ had reached the ship, and was about depart- 
ing, “he prayed him that he might be with him.” The 
reasons for this prayer are obvious. He might, from his 
past experience of Satanic possession, reasonably fear the 
reentry of the devils when Christ was away. He knew 
that they had not been shut up in their prison — that they 
had not been expelled from that region, and that they 
had manifested their malignity in the destruction of the 
swine. Why could they not seek him out 1 W ith Christ 


THE DEMONIAC. 


451 


he knew lie would be safe. With Christ absent, he had 
not this assurance. 

He may also justly have feared the wrath of the people. 
Whilst Christ was present their rage would be suppressed. 
Awed by his power, they would not dare to wreck their 
vengeance on him. But when the Lord should be absent, 
seeing they could not strike him, whom they hated, and 
had besought to leave their coasts, they would seize upon 
this poor, lone man, as the occasion of their losses, and 
make him feel the intensity of their hatred. But a nobler 
and more generous motive, I doubt not, animated him, and 
prompted his prayer. Moved by gratitude for the won- 
derful mercy he had experienced, his heart passed over 
to Christ, and he desired always to be with him, to iden- 
tify himself with him, and to be known everywhere as his 
disciple. 


THE ANSWEKS. 

It may seem strange that the prayers of the devils, and 
of the Gadarenes were literally and immediately answered, 
whilst that of the healed man was as promptly denied. 
A careful examination of the resulting facts will make 
apparent the consummate wisdom of Christ in thus dis- 
posing of the several petitions. 

By answering the prayer of the devils, the miracle of 
mercy was made far more public and effective. Had 
nothing more than the healing transpired, it would have 
been known only to a very limited circle of friends and 
neighbors. But the destruction, so suddenly, and in such 
an unheard of manner, of so large a herd of swine, would 
awaken the most intense interest. It would be on every 
man’s tongue. It would spread from neighborhood to 
neighborhood, and would arouse the most wakeful curi- 
osity. Many would be the questions asked, as to how it 


452 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


happened. This would necessarily lead such inquirer to 
the fact that a person named Jesus, of Nazareth, had, by hi s 
word of command, cast out the devils from this fierce man, 
who for so long a time had been the terror of the whole 
country. That immediately these ejected devils entered 
the swine, and under their maddening power had rushed 
violently down the steep bank into the lake, and were 
choked in the sea. The wonderful healing of a man is 
a matter of interest to, comparatively, a few relatives and 
acquaintances. But the sudden destruction of two thous- 
and swine, in so unusual a manner, touches a wider sym- 
pathy. It affects property, that in which the multitude 
are personally interested. 

The devils prayed that they might enter the swine, and 
so counteract and destroy the effect of the miracle of heal- 
ing. By granting their prayer they brought the knowl- 
edge of this miracle of mercy in contact with a greatly 
enlarged circle of minds, which doubtless impressed many 
most favorably. By granting their prayer, Christ made 
manifest the reality and malignity of satanic influence. 
This power was not so palpable, in the conduct of the 
demoniac, as to to be easily discriminated from other 
agencies. His uncleanness and his ferociousness might 
be accounted for by his depraved passions. His wonder- 
ful strength as the peculiarity of some disease making 
the muscles forceful. This man is thoroughly changed 
in temper, spirit and habits, by the simple command of 
Christ, “Come out of him thou unclean spirit.” When 
that which came out of him spake, “ what have I to do 
with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God.” 
When asked, “what is thy name ?” replied, “my name 
is legion, for we are many.” When they prayed not to 
be sent out of that country, but permitted to enter the 
herd of swine, there could be no doubt that it was neither 
disease nor human passions that were cast out. Who 
ever heard of a disease talking— of a disease, self* moved, 


THE DEMONIAC. 


453 


innoculating two thousand swine, so as to drive them, 
against their instincts, down a steep place into the sea % 
These facts transpiring in the daylight, before many wit- 
nesses, must have impressed the people with the convic- 
tion that there is a live, personal, malignant devil, with 
many subordinates, who then possessed the bodies of some 
men. Their malignity was manifested in their infuriating 
and tormenting this man, in entering the swine and caus- 
ing them to precipitate themselves into the lake. 

“He must needs go that the devil drives.” 

By granting the prayer of the devils, Christ most thor- 
oughly tested and exposed the moral character of the 
Gadarenes. Property is the readiest, as well as the surest 
test of character, that God has thrown into this world. 
There is nothing for which men generally, will so readily 
violate truth and integrity ; for which they will practice 
deceptions and frauds ; for which they will sacrifice 
friends and relatives, and for which they will endure 
privations and hardships, as for property. Nothing so 
engrosses the affections and disputes God’ s right to the 
heart. Hence our Lord said, “ye cannot serve God and 
mammon.” Touch men’s property, and you touch their 
deepest love, and bring to the surface their true charac- 
ters. They then throw off reserve, and act out what they 
really are. When the two thousand swine perished in 
the lake, the property of the Gadarenes was struck. 
They were prompt to act. They feared the power which 
had healed the man possessed of devils, and they besought 
Christ to depart out of their coasts. 

It is generally thus that touching property quickens 
into activity the baser passions of men. When the gos- 
pel had so multiplied its converts at Ephesus, that the 
tradesmen in idolatrous shrines, felt the diminution of 
their trade, they were stirred up to active threatening op- 


454 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


position. Demetrius, the silversmith, called together the 
workmen, and said, “sirs, ye know that by this craft we 
have our wealth. Not alone at Ephesus, but almost 
throughout all Asia. This Paul hath persuaded and 
turned away much people, so that not only this, our craft, 
is in danger to be set at naught ; but also that the temple 
of the great goddess Diana, should be despised, and her 
magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the 
world worshipeth.” This stirring appeal to the person- 
al interest of the workmen, was effective; “they were 
full of wrath.” They did not frankly proclaim their 
selfish motive, but covered it up adroitly, with professed 
concern for religion. They raised the cry, 6 ‘ great is Diana 
of the Ephesians.” This they kept up until the whole 
city was filled with confusion.” Thus excited, the peo- 
ple were ripe for action. Then the wrath of the workmen 
consummated its purpose ; they “ caught Gaius and Aris- 
tarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul’s companions in travel, 
and rushed with one accord, into the theatre.” But for 
the good, common sense of the town clerk, who, with sin- 
gular courage and prudence, allayed the tumult, and 
dispersed the mob, blood, doubtless would have been 
shed. 

When Paul was at Philippi and cured the damsel pos- 
sessed with the spirit of divination, her masters, seeing 
the hope of their gain was gone, caught Paul and Silas, 
and drew them into the market-place unto the rulers.” 
Instead of telling the truth, that by the curing of this 
damsel they had lost their source of gain, they cover 
their selfishness by charging the Apostle with disturbing 
the peace, and with teaching treasonable sentiments. Thus 
the multitude were excited, and the magistrate command- 
ed to beat Paul and Silas. Having laid many stripes up- 
on them, they cast them into prison. 

These are but sample cases illustrative of the workings 
of human nature whenever property is struck. The pro- 


THE DEMONIAC. 


455 


hibition, or the restricted sale of intoxicating drinks, is 
strenuously and perseveringly opposed, on the ground of 
infringing upon personal liberty and the like, whilst the 
true motive that such laws interferes with pecuniary 
profits is concealed. With such men it weighs as nothing 
that alcoholic drinks annually destroy not less than 300, 000 
lives, send 100,000 children to the poor-house, consign at 
least 150,000 persons to jails and penitentiaries, make at 
least 100,000 maniacs, instigate to the commission of 1,500 
murders, cause 2,000 suicides— burn, or otherwise destroy, 
property to the amount of ten millions of dollars — make 
200,000 widows and orphans. All this inventory, and 
vastly more, of human wretchedness is as nothing if it 
stands in the way of their worldly gain. How vividly 
this determines and delineates the character There is no 
test like property. It tries all men, every day, in all 
kinds of business. In some it develops the nobleness and 
the grandeur of truthfulness, honesty and Christian in- 
tegrity. In others, many others, falsehood, fraud and 
debasing selfishness. 

In granting the prayer of the people, Christ testified 
his unwillingness to force either his presence or his doc- 
trine, or his healing mercy upon those who do not desire 
them. Though his face was towards the city of the Ga- 
darenes, and though he was moving thitherwards, still 
when they prayed him to depart from their coasts, he 
turned way and left them. 44 He entered into a ship, and 
passed over, and came into his own city.” This was not 
an exceptional case, but the settled manner of Christ’ s pro- 
ceedings. When the Lord journeyed with the two dis- 
ciples towards Emmaus, and they 4 4 drew nigh the village, 
he made as though he would have gone farther.” And 
he would have passed on had they not 44 constrained him, 
saying abide with us.” 4 4 And he went in and tarried 
with them.” They wanted him, and with Christian hos- 
pitality invited him, and Christ tarried with them. They 


456 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


were abundantly rewarded. They liad willing hearts, 
and Christ blessed them. His language is, “behold, I 
stand at the door and knock : if any man hear my voice, 
and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup 
with him, and he with me.” — Rev. 3 : 20. It is because 
men are not willing to open the door of their heart, that 
Christ does not take up his abode with them. Their hearts, 
like the inn at Bethlehem, are so full of other congenial 
guests, that there is no room for Jesus, the Saviour. 

The departure of Christ from Gadara impresses the con- 
viction not only that he is unwilling to stay where he is 
not wanted, but also and impressively teaches that under 
the power of worldliness and selfish purposes, men do 
actually reject him and miserably perish. How blinding 
the influence of sin and selfishness. Thus it is that men 
reject what they know is the greater, their eternal good, 
for a present temporary interest. “Go thy way for this 
time,” is the language of their heart, “when I have a 
convenient season, I will call for thee.” 

By refusing the prayer of the healed man, that he 
“might be with him.” The Lord would teach him that 
his personal presence was not necessary for his protection. 
The power that commanded the legion to come out of him 
could permanently control them. This power being di- 
vine was not limited to any place, but could equally and 
at the same time be everywhere exerted. It was not nec- 
essary, therefore, that this man should be always in his 
bodily presence. The divine nature is omnipresent, and 
omniscient. 

The union of Christ with his disciples is indissoluble. 
Faith unites them to him, as the branch is united* to the 
vine. The disciple lives in him, as does the branch in 
the vine. As the branch derives all its vitality and 
nourishment from the vine, so does the disciple grow and 
bear fruit in Christ. “The life which I now live in the 
flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God.” — Gal. 2 : 20. 


THE DEMONIAC. 


457 


By refusing this prayer which was the most acceptable 
to him, Christ taught that it is not wise always to answer 
every right petition. It certainly was not wrong for this 
man to desire to be with his benefactor, and show his 
gratitude and devotion by following him. The warm 
feelings of a grateful heart constrained him to ask this 
favor. By granting this prayer a right desire would be 
gratified. This prayer was limited to the feelings then 
uppermost, and was in ignorance of what would be best 
for his spiritual interests, and the most efficient way of 
of service, and must therefore yield to the superior wis- 
dom of his Lord, manifested in pointing out the field and 
manner of his service. “Go home to thy friends, and 
tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, 
and hath had compassion on thee.” “Return to thine 
own house, and show how great things God hath done 
unto thee.” His wonderful healing fitted him preemi- 
nently for usefulness among his relatives and acquain- 
tances. They, better than all others, could appreciate 
the reality of the change. They knew what he once was. 
They saw him now, 4 4 clothed and in his right mind. Thus, 
by the contrast, they knew the reality and greatness of 
the cure. Its continuance taught them that it was radi- 
cal and permanent. Their many inquiries opened the 
way for him to tell who it was that had healed him, and 
to urge others to go to this wonderful healer. There is 
no convincing power like the recital of personal experi- 
ence. 

In the command, 44 go home to thy friends and tell them 
how great things the Lord hath done for thee, there was 
a cross to be taken up, a self-denial to be practiced. 
Strange as it may seem, it requires more moral courage 
to be religious at home than in any other place. It is 
easier to work in the mission school, or go to the neglected 
poor, where we are not known, than to act out consistent 
religion at home. We remember our former lives, we 


458 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


know that all eyes are upon ns, we fear the scoffs of the 
irreligious, as well the doubts and apprehensions of the 
good ; and feeling our weakness we would be silent, and 
thus avoid the cross and the self-denial. But the Lord 
places these at the very threshold of our new life. If we 
meet them then and there, and resolutely take up the 
cross, we gain character and firmness, and we shall meet 
fewer difficulties in the future. But if we quail here, the 
enemy entangles us in his meshes, and troubles, neither 
few nor small, must be our portion. This healed man 
promptly took up his cross. “He departed and began 
to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done 
for him. And all men did marvel. ” There is no intima- 
tion that he was a man of extraordinay talents or gifts. 
That which opened his mouth and made him eloquent 
was a loving heart, with an experience to relate. If men 
had more experience of the love of Christ, they would 
easily find words, and would rejoice to speak and act for 
Christ. In the animal creation the still-born are dead. 
Can it be, in the spiritual world, that to be still-born 
is an evidence of life? How many who hope they are 
born again, born of the Spirit, and who join the church, 
yet have nothing to say for Christ, of the great things 
which he hath done for them. Such have words, many 
words, earnest words, eloquent words, in their business, 
their pleasures, their ambitions, their politics and their 
fashions, but no words for Jesus. They can tell others 
of business, pleasures, fashions and politics, for in these 
they have experience, but in doing for Christ they have 
no experience. They are therefore dumb. It has not a 
good look when a church member has nothing to say for 
Jesus, but walks on in the giddy whirl of worldly pleas- 
ures. There is a boundary line between the church and 
the world. It should never be so obscured as to leave 
doubt where it runs, and from what it separates. That 
line should ever be kept distinct and bright. The con- 


THE DEMONIAC. 


459 


vert, when stepping over that line, should understand 
what is and what is not consistent with a sincere profes- 
sion of religion. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by 
the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living 
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your rea- 
sonable service.” — Rom. 12 : 1. 

The healed man obeyed his Lord, and immediately be- 
came active in his service. “And he departed, and be- 
gan to publish in Decapolis, how great things Jesus had 
done for him, and all men did marvel.” So also did the 
woman of Samaria, when converted. She went her way 
into the city, and “saith to the men, come see a man, 
which told me all things that ever I did ; is not this the 
Christ 1” “ And many of the Samaritans of that city be- 

lieved on him for the saying of the woman.” — John 4 : 
29, 40. “Go home and tell’ them how great things the 
Lord has done for thee,” is the unrepealed command. 
The Lord expects of every disciple to work for him, in 
the place where his providence has located him. That is 
a part of his vineyard, and there the labor is to be done. 
Whatever of talents each disciple may have, that is not 
to be buried, but used for the Master; “occupy till I 
come.” 

It is of the greatest importance that men should under- 
stand the true character of their prayers. If they are 
mercenary and selfish, for God to answer them may be 
the ruin of their souls. Of this kind was the prayer of 
the Gadarenes. The answer removed Christ from their 
coasts, and with him the only source of true blessings. 
It is not enough that prayers are intelligent, orthodox 
in sentiment and form ; not enough that they ask for 
things in themselves proper, they must come from a heart 
glowing with love to Christ, and having full confidence 
in the divine promises. They must be offered in the 
spirit of cheerful submission to the divine will, and of 
prompt obedience to every known command of God. 


460 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


The child of God should never be discouraged because 
the devil, at times, has great power. He may grieve be- 
cause the love of many waxes cold, and many turn from 
following the Lord. He may sigh and mourn because 
men make void the divine law, and iniquity, coming 
in like a flood, threatens to sweep away the very foun- 
dations. So fearful and general are the triumphs of 
crime, that it seems that the devil has full control. A 
cloud has come over the church, and gross darkness over 
the land. This is the time for confidence in God. The 
time to lay full length upon the promises, and look up. 
“ Fear not, little flock ; for it is your Father’s good pleas- 
ure to give you the kingdom.” — Luke 12 : 32. Wait pa- 
tiently, wait and labor on. “When the enemy shall 
come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a 
standard against him.” — Isa. 59 : 79. The church is safe, 
and only the church is safe. It is founded upon the rock, 
“and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” — Mat. 
16 : 18. 

The child of God should remember that the devil is 
neither omniscient nor omnipotent. Both his power and 
knowledge are limited. He is under the absolute control 
of Christ, the mediatorial king, and is by him held in 
“ chains of darkness.” He can go only to the end of his 
tether. Often times when he has been rushing on furiously 
in his triumphal career, he has been brought up by au 
almighty jerk, by an unseen hand, which has prostrated 
him, and rendered him powerless, thus telling where the 
ultimate triumph must be. “ Whom the Lord shall con- 
sume with the spirit of his coming.”— 2 Thess. 2:8. Be 
not cast down and despondent when the evidences of Sa- 
tanic power accumulates and spreads ; when his emis- 
saries, with arrogance and hot vengeance carry all before 
them ; then know that the time is near when Christ, who 
came to destroy the works of the devil, will magnify his 
power and cause the devil and his myrmidons to quail be- 


THE DEMONIAC. 


461 


fore Mm. “ When the devil is come down unto you, hav- 
ing great wrath, it is because he knoweth that he hath 
but a short time.” — Rev. 12 : 12. Dark times, times of 
human extremity, are bright times with God — his chosen 
opportunity. Until the time comes when the devil shall 
be bound and cast into the bottomless pit, and shut up, 
there must be mighty conflicts. He will continue to be 
the most vigilant determined foe. 

The only security against the subtle onsets of the devil 
is to take refuge in Christ. He having been ‘‘tempted in 
all points like as we are,” is “touched with the feeling of 
our infirmities,” and “is able to succor them that are 
tempted.” He alone can conquer. He has provided the 
proper and effectual defences. “Be strong in the Lord 
and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour 
of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of 
the devil : “ take unto you the whole armour of God that 
ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having 
done all to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins 
girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of 
righteousness ; and your feet shod with the preparation 
of the gospel of peace ; above all taking the shield of 
faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench the fiery darts 
of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation and the 
sword of the spirit, which is the word of God : praying 
always with all prayer and supplication, and watching 
thereunto with all perseverence.” — Epli. 6 : 10, 11, 13-18. 
Thus panoplied and not ignorant of his devices, “ Satan 
shall gain no advantage.” 

If men, converted and kept by the power of God, need 
such an armor and the constant succor of Christ ; how 
much more do the unconverted need a power greater than 
their own ? In their own strength they cannot cope with 
an enemy so vigilant and experienced. They, at every 
step, fall into the snare of the devil and are “taken cap- 
tive by him at Ms will.” The only way of recovery is 


462 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. His “ blood 
cleanseth from all sin.” His grace is sufficient for every 
emergency. Salvation is free to all. Whosoever will 
may come. u Come now, and let us reason together, saith 
the Lord ; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be 
as white as snow ; though they be red like crimson, they 
shall be as wool.” — Isa. 1 : 18. “ And the spirit and the 

bride say come. And let him that heareth say come. And 
let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will let 
him take the. water of life freely.” — Rev. 22 : 17. 

Though satan may often be rampant and aggressive, 
still there is no ground for fear or discouragement. He 
cannot ultimately triumph. “For this purpose fhe Son 
of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works 
of the devil.” — 1 John 3 : 8. “ Satan as lightning shall 

fall.” There is a chain about him stronger than adamant, 
which neither he nor all his legions combined can break. 
That chain is held by the omnipotent Saviour. He will 
not allow satan any more scope than he sees to be wise ; 
than, under his overruling providence, will work out the 
greatest possible good. Fight manfully then, O Christian, 
and with the confidence of hope, for Christ the conqueror 
is with you. “From henceforth expecting till his ene- 
mies be made his foot-stool.”— Heb. 10:13. “Then 
cometh the end, when he shall have delivered the king- 
dom to God, even the Father ; when he shall have put 
down all rule, and all authority and power. For he must 
reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet.”— 1 Cor. 
15 : 24, 25. 


RICH LAND-HOLDER. 


Covetousness Defined. 


RICH LAND-HOLDER. 


COVETOUSNESS DEFINED. 


In one of onr Lord’s visits to Galilee, “the Scribes and 
Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke 
him to speak of many things : laying in wait for him, and 
seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they 
might accuse him.” This determined urgency attracted 
the attention of the “multitude of the people, insomuch,” 
that in the press of their anxious curiosity “they trode 
one upon another.” He nobly met and utilized the occa- 
sion by turning the truth, with its keen edge, against 
those who, with covert, evil designs, so vehemently urged 
him. “ He began to say unto his disciples, beware ye of 
the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” This 
was a bold charge against the leading religionists of that 
day. He had aforetime said, “woe unto you, Scribes 
and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye shut up the kingdom 
of heaven against men : for ye neither go in yourselves, 
neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” He 
probed them to the quick, disclosing, that under the cover 
of the punctilious observance of many small external 
things, they secretly practiced the most abominable wick- 
edness. 


“ Their piety a system of deceit, 

Scripture employed to sanctify the cheat ; 

The Pharisee, the dupe of his own art, 

Self-idolized, and yet a knave at heart.” — Cowper. 

p. 464 


RICH LAND-IIO 


465 


He taught them that under the divine government there 
was no possibility of successful concealment. 4 4 For there 
is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither 
hid that shall not be known.’ ’ 

To fortify against the persecuting vengeance of the Phar- 
isees, he, on the one hand, opens up the retributions of 
the future world, and on the other hand, by the most 
beautiful and tender illustrations, assures of the constant, 
vigilant and protecting care of the divine providence. 
He encourages men to the open confession of him by the 
promise that he would confess them before the angels of 
God. 

These words of wisdom and authority so impressed one 
of his hearers, that he determined to appeal to him to 
settle a family controversy about the property. 4 4 And 
one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my 
brother, that he divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus 
promptly declined exercising any civil or judicial authori- 
ty, saying, 4 4 man, who made me a judge or divider over 
you?” With a penetrating knowledge of the motive 
which prompted this man to seek his interference in the 
division of the family property, he seizes upon the occa- 
sion to impress upon his disciples, and through them up- 
on others, the true character and dangers of covetousness. 
44 Take heed, and beware of covetousness; fora man’s 
life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which 
he possesseth. ’ ’ Abundance is the attainment after which 
men strive. And abundance always means more than 
the man now has. Christ here teaches that neither the 
length, nor the happiness of life, depends upon the great- 
ness of worldly possessions. 

Covetousness is generally defined, 44 eager desire for 
gain;” 4 4 immoderate love of money.” This passion, as 
usually understood, manifests itself in two forms. The 
first, that striving after wealth, which is deterred neither 
by fraud, falsehood, nor oppression. It shuts out all 


4G6 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


kindness and charity, and is selfishly and intensely in- 
tent upon one purpose. By common consent this form 
of covetousness is denounced as odious, debasing and 
criminal. The second form consists in undue dependence 
upon riches for happiness, regarding them as the chief 
good ; as procuring respect, power, and the various en- 
joyments which constitute the pleasures of life. This is 
the more common form, as it does not embrace that ex- 
cessive love of wealth, usually known as avarice, men do 
not suspect danger. But it shuts out trust in divine 
providence for the preservation of life, and the needed 
daily supply, and relies upon riches. The love of money 
in the Scriptures is designated as trusting in them. This 
men may do and be just in all their transactions with 
their fellowmen, and liberal in the use of their possessions. 


PARABLE. 

The more perfectly to define and illustrate the essential 
element of covetousness, our Lord spake thus: “The 
ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully; 
and he thought within himself, saying, what shall I do, 
because I have no room where to bestow my fruits ; and 
he said, this will I do : I will pull down my barns, and 
build greater, and there will I bestow all my fruits and 
my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, thou hast 
much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease, eat, 
drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, thou fool, 
this night thy soul shall be required of thee ; then whose 
shall those things be, which thou hast provided ? So is 
he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich 
towards God.” 

The inevitable understanding of this parable is, that in 
the estimation of our Lord, this rich land -holder was a 
covetous man. Notwithstanding the many forms which 


RICH LAND-IIOLDER. 


467 


covetousness assumes, tins statement detects and illus- 
trates the one elementary and essential principle which 
underlies and gives character to them all. If we can in- 
dividualize that principle, then, where it is found as the 
controling element of conduct, we may know for a cer- 
tainty, who are covetous persons. 

We notice that no intimation is given that his covetous- 
ness lay in the fact that he was rich. The mere posses- 
sion of riches is' no evidence that the man is covetous. 
The Bible speaks in high commendation of rich men, from 
Job and Abraham, down to Joseph, of Aramathea, a rich 
and honorable counselor. So far from condemning the 
simple fact of being rich, that it tells us for encourage- 
ment, that “the hand of the diligent maketh rich,” and 
that “the blessing of the Lord it maketh rich, and he 
addeth no sorrow with it.” — Prov. 10 : 4, 22. It admon- 
ishes, “if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.” 
— Ps. 62 : 10. Riches may come to a man by just inheri- 
tance, which may have been the case with the man in the 
parable. He increased his estate by the cultivation of 
his land, which “brought forth plentifully.” As wealth 
may be acquired, and so used as to promote the personal 
and spiritual good of the possessor, as well as the welfare 
of others, a man is not necessarily covetous, simply be- 
cause he is rich. 

There is no evidence that this man used any unfair or 
dishonest means in augmenting his wealth. * There is no 
intimation of rapacity, or unfaithfulness to trusts com- 
mitted, or dishonesty in his dealings with his laborers 
and others, by which he made haste to be rich. The rec- 
ord is, his ground “brought forth plentifully.” He was 
a tiller of the earth, the simplest form of productive labor. 
The article produced, being the direct creature of God, 
pure and unadulterated. 

There is no evidence that he was parsimonious. Miserly 
avarice was not his besetting sin. Though his ground 


468 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


brought forth so plentifully that his barns were not com- 
petent to hold his increase, and for the proper protection 
of this increase, he was resolved to build larger ; he did 
not go on to heap up wealth continuously. The great 
increase of this one year, added to his former possessions, 
satisfied him. He laid them up for present and future 
use. To take the full use of them while he lived. This 
is very different from hoarding inherited or acquired 
treasures, for the sake of accumulation. This emphati- 
cally, is the love of money for its own sake, and not for 
its legitimate uses. This is the meanest and most debasing 
form of covetousness. It looks upon property as the one 
thing of value, and no amount of possession can satisfy, 
so long as more can be had. 4 4 He that loveth silver shall 
not be satisfied with silver ; nor he that loveth abundance 
with increase.” — Ecc. 5 : 10. Being the absorbing object 
of affection, it subordinates to it all the powers of the 
mind, the will, and the body. Such a man is a mere 
money gatherer, adding farm to farm, house to house, 
ship to ship, stocks to stocks, heaping up, and still heap- 
ing up more than he needs, and more than he can use. 

“ That man may last, but never lives, 

Who much receives, but nothing gives ; 

Whom none can love, whom none can thank, 

Creation’s blot, creation’s blank.” 

4 4 Many vices wear out, and are abandoned as age and 
experience increase ; but avarice strikes deeper root, as 
age advances.” 44 Other passions have their times of re- 
laxation, but avarice is a tyrant which never suffers its 
slaves to rest.” Alas, when such an one dies he can carry 
nothing with him of his life-work but a shrivelled heart 
and an unlovely character. 

“ Throws up his interest in both worlds, 

First starved in this, then damned in that to come.” 


RICH LAND-HOLDER. 


469 


When the rich land-holder stored np his increase, so 
far from being avaricious, or parsimonious, or hard heart- 
ed, the reverse is clearly stated. He intended to take the 
good of his property whilst passing along. “ Soul, thou 
hast much goods laid up for many years, take thine ease ; 
eat, drink and be merry.” He bade farewell to the cor- 
roding cares of business and of accumulation, and gave 
himself up to the pleasures of the day. He was a gener- 
ous liver. Here is an industrious, prosperous cultivator 
of the land, free from the charge of hoarding avarice, of 
oppression, rapacity or fraud ; a free generous liver in 
the using of his property: yet this is the man whom 
Christ holds up as the illustration of what is meant by 
covetousness. Here the Saviour fastens upon the ele- 
mental principle, which, with unerring accuracy, gave 
the true character to all his conduct. This conduct Christ 
designates as folly ; as folly of the intensest kind- ‘ 4 Thou 
fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, then 
whose shall these things be which thou hast provided 3” 
“ He heapeth up riches and knoweth not who shall gather 
them.” — Ps. 39 : 6. So uncertain is the tenure by which 
life, and with it wealth is held, that no dependence can 
be placed upon it for continued, much less permanent 
happiness. Our Lord by generalizing this principle makes 
it apjjlicable to all men, through all ages. “ So is he 
that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward 
God.” 


PRODIGALITY. 

Prodigality was the characteristic sin of this man. But 
this is as certain a form of covetousness as is avarice. 
Avarice gratifies self by hoarding. Prodigality gratifies 
self by spending. Extravagant expenditure, in dress, 
equipage, and style of living, may as clearly show the 


470 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


gratification of self, as the ruling motive, as does pinch- 
ing parsimony or hoarding avarice. Selfishness is the 
sin of the world. It is unblushingly allowed as the prop- 
er incentive of labor and trade. It rules in the getting, 
in the keeping, and the using of property. In the world 
the men who amass and possess the most are honored. 
“The wicked blesseth the covetous whom the Lord ab- 
horreth.” — Ps. 10 : 3. This same principle, it is to be 
feared, still controls, with its corrupting influence, many 
of the professed disciples of Christ. Self -gratification is 
apparently their ruling motive. They are lovers of them- 
selves, which is the essential spirit of covetousness. “ For 
men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous.” — 2 
Tim. 3 : 2. The Lord singles out only this one thing in 
the conduct of this prosperous tiller of the soil, that he 
used his property for his personal gratification, not in 
hoarding, but in spending. And this is his illustration of 
covetousness. “Lo, this is the man that made not God 
his strength ; but trusted in the abundance of his riches.” 
— Ps. 52 : 7. “How hard is it for them that trust in 
riches to enter into the kingdom of God.” — Mark 10 : 24. 
For the same reason the wise man says, “the plowing 
of the wicked, is sin.” — Prov. 21 : 4. He plows for self 
and for self alone. He has no other motive than personal 
advantage. This would be obvious if, at the end of each 
furrow, he stationed a playcard, with the word in large 
capitals “ SELF,” and all the time his eye was undevia- 
tingly fixed upon that one word. For the same reason it 
is written, “the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination 
to the Lord.”— Prov. 15 : 8. “Whether, therefore, ye eat 
or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” 
— 1 Cor. 10 : 31. What constitutes covetousness, in the 
estimation of Christ, is not avarice, penury and hoard- 
ing, or any other of the forms which the world condemns ; 
but living to self, the use of property simply for self- 
gratification, whether by penury and hoarding or free 
spending in display and pleasures. 


EICH LAND-HOLDEE. 


471 


This is fully confirmed by a careful analysis of this re- 
presentative man, the prosperous land-holder. This one 
fact stands out prominently, that lie relied upon liis riches 
for his happiness. “ Soul, thou hast much goods laid up 
for many years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be mer- 
ry.” The gratification of his animal appetites was the 
happiness he sought. He relied upon his property to se- 
cure these unto him, and for these ends he determined to 
use them. In this he was a representative man. The like 
abound in all generations. Not only is it true that the 
gratification of tastes and of animal appetites commands 
the free expenditure of money ; but it is eminently true 
that in a thousand ways the ranks of business pamper to 
these appetites ; not only by appeals to corporeal desires, 
but also to the higher forms of gratification. Shrewd men 
of business, intensely study the various tastes and sources 
of pleasure, and shape their labors to profit by them. 
The cultivation of the intellect,, simply for personal grati- 
fication, and the use of wealth for that end, comes within 
the enclosures of Christ’ s definition of covetousness. £ ‘ So 
is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich 
toward God.” 


TENUEE OF PEOPEETY. 

Another fact of vital importance, is brought to the front. 
He had radically wrong views of the tenure of property. 
He felt that the “much goods” he possessed were abso- 
lutely his own, and that he had the right to use, and to 
do with them as he pleased. So far as his fellow men 
were concerned, this was true. The title vested in him, 
and he could not justly be deprived of it. Looking no 
farther than human laws and usages, he was the absolute 
owner. But in relation to God, no man is the absolute 
owner of any property. To God alone, all property be- 


472 


BIBLE PEIXCIPLES. 


longs. “ The earth is the Lord’ s, and the fulness thereof ; 
the world, and they that dwell therein.” — Ps. 24: 1. 

“Every beast of the field is mine, and the cattle upon 
a thousand hills.” — Ps. 50: 10. “ Whatsoever is under 

the whole heaven is mine.” — Job. 41 : 11. “The silver is 
mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts.” — 
Haggai 2: 8. “Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the 
power, and the glory ; for all that is in the heavens and 
the earth is thine.” “Both riches and honor come of 
thee.” — 1 Chron. 29: 11, 12. Everyman is the steward 
of God. For the time being, he is the trustee of the prop- 
erty which God has committed to him, and for which he 
is to render an account. This the Saviour enforces in the 
parable of the ten pounds, where the charge is given to 
each occupant, “occupy till I come.” Those who had 
gained other pounds for the Master were commended. 
As they were faithful stewards, he honored them with a 
larger trust. The one who had selfishly so kept the 
pound, that it was not used for the Master, was con- 
demned. Whilst to the faithful ones, he said, 4 ‘ well done, 
good and faithful servants ; to the unfaithful one he said, 
“cast ye the unfaithful servant into outer darkness; 
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” The 
principle of trusteeship is of universal application. No 
man, whether rich or poor, can possibly escape from it. 

When men have made a fortune honestly, and by hard 
toil, they do not love to be told that it is not their’ s abso- 
lutely. Nor do they relish the idea that they are only 
stewards and trustees of God, and responsible to him for 
the manner in which they use it whilst living, and the 
way they dispose of it by their wills. Still the claim of 
God is absolute and cannot possibly be set aside. So also 
the account to be rendered is a fixed fact. 

THE WILL. 

The motive which had influence through life in the mak- 


RICH LAND-HOLDER. 


473 


ing and using of property, will certainly control the man 
in the making of his last will and testament. It is often 
very painful to notice that his will is a memorial monu- 
ment, erected by his own hand, to testify to all who read 
it, that he lived and died a covetous man. With what 
tenacity he holds on to his property, by tying it up, the 
longest period the law will allow. He thus continues his 
grasp upon, and his control of it, long years after he is 
dead. 

It is a serious question, and worthy of profound delib- 
eration, whether any man has the moral right to tie up 
the property of which he is only a trustee, under God, 
by conditions of his own, which shall control it for many 
years ? ~No man can possibly look through distant years, 
and be capable of determining the best uses of the prop- 
erty in the distant future. The right to make a will can- 
not be questioned, and the right to exercise his own judg- 
ment cannot be denied. That right, with no injury to the 
testator, may be beneficially restricted in this one point, 
the length of time by which the will may control the 
property, thus leaving each generation responsible for the 
property. To a limited extent this is done. 

There is very painful evidence that professing Chris- 
tians, in the making of their wills, have radically wrong 
views of the tenure of property. They do not recognize 
that God is the real owner, and that they are but trustees. 
They act as though their right was absolute, and make 
their wills in accordance with their feelings. It is clearly 
the design of God that men shall primarily regard the 
welfare of their families in the disposition of their estates. 
Other interests have also a claim for a proper recognition. 
How many, having large estates, leave nothing to any of 
the multiplied avenues for Christian benevolence. How 
many leave for benevolent use a very small percentage 
of a very large property. The Rev. John Harris, author 
of Mammon, with singular point and power, thus states 


474 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


the case. “Does not your present parsimony towards 
the objects of Christian benevolence justify the fear that the 
amount which you have devised for such purposes is most 
disproportionably small % And yet, small as it is, it is 
your Will. In discharging your testamentary duties, 
you naturally remember those persons and objects which 
hold the dearest place in your affections ; your supreme 
friend is Christ, and yet that he should be put off with 
that insulting pittance, is your Will. You make your 
testamentary arrangements in the prospect of leaving 
what you properly designate a world of misery ; much 
more of your property might be left to the alleviation of 
that misery, but that it shall not be so appropriated is 
your Will. You make the arrangements in the pros- 
pect of being received into perfect blessedness ; you en- 
tertain the hope that while survivors are inspecting, for 
the first time, the distribution which you have made of 
your property, your emancipated spirit will be enjoying 
the happiness of the just made perfect, that next to none 
of that happiness shall arise from the right employment 
of your property is your Will.” “This is not a mere 
passing thought, not a precipitate unconsidered act, but 
an act which you formally preface with saying, that you 
perform it being in sound mind ; in a word it is the delib- 
erate act of that sovereign part of your nature, your 
Will. Yes, this is your Will, which you are content 
to have for a dying pillow, and on which you propose to 
rest your dying head.” “Your Will, made partly as a 
preparation for the awful moment, when it shall be said 
to you, give an account of your stewardship.” “ Self is 
Dives in the mansion, clothed in purple, and faring sump- 
tuously every day, the cause of Christ is Lazarus lying 
at his gate, and fed only with the crumbs which fall from 
his table.” 


RICH LAND-HOLDER. 


475 


MAKING A WILL. 

Few persons make their will in accordance with cool, 
good judgment, but are governed almost entirely by their 
feelings. Take an illustration. A Christian man, desir- 
ous of making his will, summons twelve of his most intel- 
ligent and conscientious friends, men intimately acquaint- 
ed with the practical effect of property upon heirs, and 
capable of giving disinterested and sound advice. He lays 
before them all the necessary facts. I have property worth 
not less than $500,000. I have a wife and four children, 
two boys and two girls. I am a professor of religion. I 
want to do right to my family, and to every cause which 
has a just claim on me. I now place you under oath, 
most carefully to deliberate, and to bring in your unani- 
mous decision. I want you to state clearly the principles 
upon which you recommend me to make my will. Also 
the reasons, drawn from your experience and observation, 
why you fix upon those principles. These twelve men, 
of different temperaments, and of varied fields of obser- 
vation, having carefully examined and discussed the whole 
subject, unite in their verdict. How the strange thing is, 
this verdict does not exactly meet the views of this Chris- 
tian gentleman. He does not object to the principles 
stated, nor does he find fault with the reasons given, 
but they seem so cold, so matter-of-fact like. They seem- 
ingly place the family outside of their relationship. He 
cannot condemn the verdict. His judgment says it is 
right, it is proper, but it does not meet his feelings. These 
are warmer than his judgment, and these override his 
judgment. A strange thing is, that not one of the twelve 
intelligent, conscientious men, will make his own will 
upon the principles which, under oath, was recommended 
to their friend. And why % Because each one in his own 
case is governed by his feelings, rather than his judgment. 


476 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Men have a much clearer conviction and judgment of how 
other men ought to use and dispose of their property, 
than they have of their own obligations in regard to their 
own property. 

According to the Scriptures, when a man, by the n’ew 
birth, dies unto sin, he surrenders himself and all that 
he is and has, to Christ, his Lord. Then, emphatically, 
his will is made. ‘ 4 Lord, what wilt thou have me to do V ’ 
From that moment he solemnly devotes himself to be the 
executor of that will. As the trustee of Christ, he is 
bound to use his best abilities, in promoting the interests 
of his Lord and Saviour. “What? know ye not that 
your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in 
you, which you have of God, and ye are not your own ? 
For ye are bought with a price ; therefore, glorify God 
in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” — 1 
Cor. 6: 19, 20. “No man can serve two masters; for 
either he will hate the one, and love the other ; or else he 
will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot 
serve God and mammon.”— Matt. 6 : 24-. 

The elemental principle of covetousness, as stated and 
illustrated by Christ, is living for self, no matter in what 
form it may show itself, whether by hoarding or free 
living. So long as self -gratification is the ruling motive, 
that motive designates it as covetousness. “ So is he that 
layeth up- treasure for himself, and is not rich towards 
God.” 


SCRIPTURE CAUTIONS. 

The emphatic language of our Lord is, “take heed, and 
beware of covetousness.” “Take heed,” implies careful 
attention ; and “beware,” means to shun, not to come in 
contact. It is as though he said, the danger to which 
you are exposed, is so imminent and momentous, that 


RICH LAND-HOLDER. 


477 


yon will need the greatest vigilance, as against a most sub- 
tle enemy. Guard yourself most carefully and resolutely 
against his insidious approaches. Keep a most jealous 
guard upon the citadel of your heart, lest a covetous de- 
sire steal in and ultimately rule there. The need to give 
earnest heed to this caution is the greater, because of the 
three mighty allies of covetousness, viz., the deceitfulness 
of sin, the deceit fulness of riches, and the deceitfulness 
of the heart. The first two are powerful pleaders with 
the third, and therefore the urgency of the caution, “ take 
heed, and beware of covetousness.” 

The process by which the covetous principle gets a foot- 
hold and becomes a ruling power, is very simple, and by 
no means alarming. 

Men feel that it is not only natural, but allowable, to 
make their condition as happy as they can. To secure 
this the possession of abundance of the good things of 
this world is necessary. This desire to possess, is the 
necessary stimulant to effort. Thus men start. As the 
family grows, parental affection strengthens the desire to 
possess, that a suitable portion may be secured for the 
children. This suitable portion has no defined boundaries, 
but is enlarged according as the desire to possess gains 
more perfect control. This process is rendered the more 
easy and certain of success, because covetousness, in its 
less offensive forms, has so near a resemblance to the vir- 
tues of prudence, economy, carefulness, thrift, and dili- 
gence. These are equally at war with prodigality and 
with miserly avarice, and therefore commend themselves 
to general approbation. Men little suspect that the cove- 
tous principle of 4 ‘laying up treasure for himself, and is 
not rich toward God,” may rule through this comely ex- 
terior. A strong auxiliary force, stimulating more in- 
tensely the desire to possess, is the fact that riches give 
men position in society. Such are courted and honored, 
not so much for their moral worth, as for the abundance 


478 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


of their wealth. This is the key that opens the doors that 
are closed to the worthy intelligent poor. Wealth is 
honored, whilst honest labor, if not despised, and looked 
down upon with contempt, is lightly esteemed. Thus the 
popular estimate of wealth insidiously so stimulates the 
desire to possess that it becomes the ruling passion, and 
men become covetous without once suspecting that, in the 
sight of God, this is their true character. 


THE GROUPINGS. 

The Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, 1 : 29, 
not only groups covetousness among the sins which idola- 
try works out, but distinguishes it as a prime element in 
the system of heathenism, where depravity was at its 
worst. In his letter to the Colossians, 3 : 5, he says, 
‘ ‘ mortify, therefore, your members which are upon the 
earth : fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil 
concupiscence, and covetousness , which is idolatry .” 
Again, Eph. 5 : 5, “ For this ye know, that no whoremon- 
ger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man , who is an 
idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ 
and of God.” The identification of covetousness and 
idolatry by the Apostle is clear and undeniable. The 
reason is obvious. The heathen man relies upon his god. 
The covetous man makes gold his trust. He loves it with 
a supreme affection and to its acquisition devotes his ac- 
tive powers. The covetous man, whom Paul calls an 
idolator, is the same whom Christ illustrated in the rich 
land-holder, who used his property for his personal grati- 
fication, laid up treasure for himself, and was not rich 
toward God. 

The Rev. C. C. Colton, of England, thus graphically 
speaks : “ Those who worship gold, in a world so corrupt 
as this we live in, have at least one thing to plead in de- 


RICH LAND-HOLDER. 


479 


fense of their idolatry — the power of their idol. It is 
true, like other idols, it can neither move, nor see, nor 
hear, nor feel, nor understand ; but, unlike other idols, 
it has often communicated all these powers to those who 
had them not, and annihilated them in those who had. 
This idol can boast of two peculiarities ; it is worshiped 
in all climates, without a single temple, and by all classes, 
without a single hypocrite.” 

In the Scriptures already quoted, the covetous are not 
only called idolators, but are classed with those who are 
shut out from heaven. “Know ye not that the unright- 
eous shall not inherit the kingdom of God ? Be not de- 
ceived, neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, 
nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 
nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, 
nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” — 1 
Cor. 6, 9, 10. Such passages group covetousness in a 
fearful confraternity of crimes. That it is identified with 
some sins rather than with others, is, perhaps, because 
those sins rank first in guilt. Nor can we wonder at this, 
when we remember that the Bible brands covetousness as 
idolatry. Idolatry robs God of the honor and worship 
which is his due, and therefore ranks among the most 
positive and destructive of sins. 

The exclusion of the covetous from heaven, is not be- 
cause they are rich. The Bible assures us of the salva- 
tion of many rich persons, who, in their day, were emi- 
nent for their piety. Every age has witnessed a goodly 
company of such. At the present time there are, in every 
Christian country, many illustrious examples of wealth 
controlled by eminent piety. Still there is ground for 
fear. Christ has said, “ how hardly shall they that have 
riches enter into the kingdom of God.”— Mark 10: 23. 
“ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, 
than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” — 
Matt. 19 : 24. When such utterances as these astonished 


480 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


his disciples, who said, “ who then can be saved ?” “He 
replied, the things which are impossible with men, are 
possible with God.” — Luke 18: 26, 27. His grace can 
subdue the covetous spirit, and so mould the desires and 
purposes of the man, that he shall so hold and use wealth 
as to promote his own spirituality, as well as the good of 
others. Christ further states the cardinal difficulty, 4 ‘ how 
hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter the king- 
dom of God.” — Mark 10 : 24. This harmonizes perfectly 
with his former teaching, “who lay eth up treasure for 
himself, and is not rich towards God.” All such, are as 
unfitted for the place, as are the sinners with whom they 
are classed. Should a covetous soul enter heaven, instead 
of uniting in the noble song of “worthy is the Lamb,” 
his affections would be fastened upon the golden pave- 
ments and the gates of pearl, for character is permanent, 
and he would be planning how to possess them. 


NO FELLOWSHIP. 

“What fellowship,” asks the Apostle, “ hath righteous- 
ness with unrighteousness?” — 2 Cor. 6 : 14. “Have no 
fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but 
rather reprove them.” — Eph. 5 : 11. “ The works of the 

flesh are manifest.” In that fearful catalogue, Gal, 5: 
19-21, idolatry stands prominent. One form of this work 
of the flesh is covetousness. Hence the Apostle, “but 
now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any 
man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous , 
or an idolator, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, 
with such an one no not to eat. ’ ’ — 1 Cor. 5 : 11. The Greek 
word here translated covetous , signifies literally one who 
is greedy of money, who supremely desires it, and relies 
upon it for his pleasure. N ot to eat with such can hardly 
apply to all social intercourse. For then a pious wife or 


RICH LAND-HOLDER. 


481 


child could not, at the family repast, eat with a covetous 
father or brother. This prohibition intimates “that a 
conscientious Christian should choose, as far as he can, 
the company, intercourse, and familiarity of good men, 
and such as fear God, and avoid the fellowship of such 
as Paul here describes.” “Not to eat,” I take it, has 
special reference to church fellowship. The common 
Christian sentiment is, that from a known drunkard, and 
a known fornicator, the church should withdraw fellow- 
ship, if, after kind persuasive influences have failed to 
reclaim him. The purity of the church imperiously de- 
mands this, that there be no semblance of sanctioning such 
sins. Why then should the extortioner, who, seizing 
upon the distresses of his neighbor, exacts more than is 
lawful, and by ingenious methods so covers up his tracks, 
that the law cannot touch him? — why should the man 
whose deportment in the getting and in the use of prop- 
erty, makes it certain that he is a covetous man, a man 
who “layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich to- 
ward God,” be continued in fellowship without even a 
rebuke ? “ But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covet- 

ousness^ let it not be once named among you as becometh 
saints. ’ ’ — Eph. 5 : 3. This direction of the Apostle applies 
equally to covetousness as to fornication, and teaches that 
covetousness is really as unbecoming a Christian professor 
as is fornication, because it as certainly demonstrates a 
heart not right with God. “Let your conversation,” 
whole manner of life, “be without covetousness ; and be 
content with such things as ye have, for he hath said, I 
will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” — Heb. 13 : 5. 
More emphatically does the Apostle warn: “But they 
that will be rich,” the animating spirit of covetousness, 
“fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish 
and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and 
perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil : 
which while some coveted after, they have erred from the 

21 


482 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


faith, and pierced themselves throngh with many sor- 
rows> ”_l Tim. 5: 9, 10. In bold contrast the same pen 
thus delineates the character of the true religion. “ For 
the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared 
unto all men, teaching us, that denying ungodliness and 
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and 
godly, in this present world, looking for that blessed hope, 
and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our 
Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he 
might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto him- 
self a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These 
things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority.” 
— Titus 2 : 11-15. If the whole law is fulfilled in one 
word, love , so the wdiole law is broken by that one word, 
covet. Hence the command with which the decalogue 
closes : “ Thou siialt hot covet.” 

The most terrific of all Scriptural warnings, — nay, de- 
nunciations are made against the covetous accumulation 
and the wrong use of property. “ Go to now, ye rich men, 
weep an howl, for your miseries that shall come upon 
you. Your riches are corrupted, your garments are 
moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered, and the 
rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat 
your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure to- 
gether for the last days.” — James 5 : 1-3. Garments, as 
well as gold and silver, were largely the evidences of wealth. 
The moth in the garments was the evidence that they 
were not used. So the rust in the metals denotes that 
they were not used. Thus the not using of property, as 
the stewards of God, for the benefit of the Master, shall 
be the witness at the last day that “ covetousness, which 
is idolatry,” ruled in the heart of the possessor. “ So is 
he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich 
toward God.” “Whose judgment now of a long time 
lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”— 2 
Peter 2 : 3. 


RICH LAND-HOLDER. 


483 


Men do not generally become covetous by design and 
of determined purpose. It nnsnspectedly and insidious- 
ly steals upon them. They commence life with small 
means. They feel the necessity of the strictest economy 
in order promptly and honestly to meet the family ex- 
penses. Prospered in their avocation they increase their 
comforts, but still maintain frugality, and begin to lay by 
a little against a rainy day. When prospered beyond 
the necessity for strict economy, then the desire to accu- 
mulate grows stronger, as the means are at hand. One 
inducement after another gives increased strength to the 
desire to lay up treasure, not as the miser hoards from 
the pure love of money, for its own sake, but that the 
comfort, the reputation and worldly position of the fami- 
ly may be secured. These are proper objects of desire, 
but these often become the occasion for the development 
of covetousness. As the lusts of the flesh, and the lusts of 
the eyes, and the pride of life, gain power, so the value and 
use of money is to carry out these unto self-pleasing. The 
prosperous, though lavish in their expenditures, are cul- 
tivating the covetous spirit by living for self. 

In some respects, professors of religion are peculiarly 
exposed to this sin. Not those who possess and make 
manifiest the Spirit of Christ ; who, like him, aim in 
all things to do the will of God, and who, as faithful 
stewards, so use their property as to increase their benev- 
olence, and do good to their fellow-men. Such, God will 
keep, and enable them to “be rich in good works, ready 
to distribute, willing to communicate ; laying up in store 
for themselves a good foundation against the time to 
come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 5 ’— 1 Tim. 
6 : 18, 19. Another class of professors, not under these 
high and sanctifying influences, are measurably controlled 
by conscience. They cannot rush into all the ways of 
the worldly. A sense of propriety holds them back from 
many things. Whilst they do not keep company with 


484 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


the openly vicious, they still make ifc manifest that the 
world has not let go its grip upon their hearts. Their 
evil propensities being shut out from such courses, will 
certainly find some other channel. The one most natur- 
ally open will be covetousness, in some form of its de- 
velopments. Beginning with economy and saving, it 
may end in hoarding; or, falling in with the “ pride of 
life,” it may show its strength in expenditures, for the 
gratification of self. As every principle of action tends 
to maturity, and every habit grows stronger the longer it 
is used, so it is inevitable that those who have been covet- 
ous through their youth and middle life, will be more 
covetous in their old age. In the earlier years, the stream 
of depravity had several channels, “ the lusts of the flesh, 
the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life,” which would 
divide the strength. But as these dry up, or decay by 
age, covetousness, now called avarice, is the only channel 
left, and the whole strength of the current flows in that 
direction. 

With regard to the aged saints, who, through life have 
cultivated the benevolent affections, we are assured that 
“they shall still bring forth fruit in old age, they shall 
be fat and flourishing.” — Ps. 92 : 14. They shall abound 
“ in all goodness and righteousness, and truth; proving 
what is acceptable unto the Lord.” — Eph. 5 : 9, 10. 

The man led by the spirit of God grows more and more 
lovely and benevolent as he draws nearer and nearer to 
the heavenly city. He is “made mete to be a partaker 
of the inheritance of the saints in light.” — Col. 1 : 12. 
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, 
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance — and 
they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the af- 
fection and lusts.”— Gal. 5 : 22-24. God will keep all 
such, and will not allow covetousness, in any of its de- 
ceitful forms, to rule over them. But it is a sad sign, 
when, as professors of religion advance in life, they be- 


RICH LAND-HOLDER. 485 

come less benevolent, and manifest a growing spirit of 
selfishness. 

The true character of every man will be tested and 
proved by the use he makes of the property committed to 
his care. The covetous man’s care and study is how he 
may increase it for himself. The faithful steward is 
mainly concerned to hold and use it so as to please the 
Lord. The covetous man lays up treasure for himself. 
The faithful steward is rich toward God. These separate 
motives give their character to those governed by them. 
So then every man, if he will be honest with himself, may 
know his true character in the sight of God. As the 
Scriptures shut out the covetous from heaven, it is clear 
that the covetous man is as certainly on his way to per- 
dition as are the other sinners with whom he is classed. 
It is true he takes a much more respectable way, but still 
a way which leads directly to the same place. He hath 
laid up treasure for himself, but is not rich toward God. 

This rich land-holder trusted to his wealth, confident 
of life, by reason perhaps of his manhood and perfect 
health. He said, “ Soul, thou hast much goods laid up 
for many years.” Death did not enter into his calcula- 
tions. Pleasure, and only pleasure, was in his thoughts. 

“ Take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry.” I have 
attained the object of my exertions, in the abundance 
carefully stored up. Now I dismiss all care and trouble, 
and give myself to enjoyment. ‘ ‘ But God said unto him, 
thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee.” 
Men are often never nearer destruction than when they 
are most satisfied with their worldly condition. “For 
when they shall say, peace and safety ; then sudden dis- 
traction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with 
child, and they shall not escape.” — 1 Thess. 5 : 3. Provi- 
dence often confirms this. Many, who have, as they judge, 
just got ready to live and enjoy the fruit of their labors, 
are suddenly cut oT . Peradventure they build their splen- 


486 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


did houses to die in. The halls that were to be lighted 
up with festivity and mirth are hung in sackcloth. 

Men, who through the strong days of life were so busy 
that they could not spare any time to attend to their 
souls, God often takes them in their mood, and uses but 
little time in bringing them to judgment. Nothing but 
the grace of God can save any man from the power and 
the doom of covetousness. Nor will that grace avail, ex- 
cept men with a cheerful and earnest heart, cultivate be- 
nevolence, which is the antidote to covetousness. “The 
liberal deviseth liberal things ; and by liberal things shall 
he stand.” — Isa. 32 : 8. “A good man showeth favor, — • 
he will guide his affairs with discretion. Surely he shall 
not be moved forever ; the righteous shall be in everlast- 
ing remembrance.” — Ps. 112 : 5, 6. A heart filled with 
supreme love to God, rejoices in him, as the unfailing 
source of happiness. A heart of entire consecration to 
Christ, the Redeemer, and constrained by his love, re- 
joices to serve him with growing strength of devotion. 
A heart, warm with honest sympathy with the miseries 
of this fallen world, gives generously of property and 
personal service to alleviate its woes, and to win its peo- 
ple to heaven. A heart quickened by a deep sense of 
dependence, cries mightily unto God, that he would so 
keep by his grace, that a covetous spirit may never rule 
the heart to lay up treasure for itself, and not be rich 
toward God. “ For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus 
Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he be- 
came poor, that ye, through his poverty, might be rich.” 
— 2 Cor. 8:9. “ Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, 

how he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive.” — 
Acts 20 : 35. 


MARY AND MARTHA. 
Religion and Temperament. 


p. 487 



\ 


MOUNT OF OLIVES, 


MARY AND MARTHA. 

RELIGION AND TEMPERAMENT. 


The sister whom Jesus loved, was Mary. In the Greek 
it is Maria, and in the Hebrew Miriam, which means 
exalted. She, with her brother Lazarus, and sister Mar- 
tha, constituted a united, loving, pious family. There 
are only three occasions in which these sisters are intro- 
duced to our notice. On each of these, and under greatly 
diversified circumstances, they manifest their love to 
Christ, but show it in such a manner as to illustrate the 
natural temperament of each. The more intimately we 
become acquainted with them, the more are we constrained 
to admire them, as well as the affection with which Christ 
regarded them. “How Jesus loved Martha, and her sis- 
ter, and Lazarus.” We shall the more perfectly under- 
stand the love of these noble sisters, as we pass under 
review their conduct in the three instances where they 
are the prominent actors. 


THE FAMILY SCENE. 

In the gospel by Luke, 10 : 38-42, we have this state- 
ment: “How it came to pass, as they went, that he 
(Christ,) entered into a certain village ; and a certain 
woman, named Martha, received him into her house. And 
she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, 


490 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


and heard his word. But Martha was cumbered about 
much serving, and came to him and said, Lord, dost thou 
not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone ? Bid 
her, therefore, that she help me. And Jesus answered 
and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and 
troubled about many things ; but one thing is needful, 
and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not 
be taken away from her.” * 

We are here introduced into the social circle, where the 
temperament and love of these sisters is placed in strik- 
ing contrast. The place where it occurs is Bethany, which 
the evangelist, J ohn 11 : 1 , calls ‘ ‘ the town of Mary and 
her sister Martha.” This “ certain village,” “ the house 
of dates,” was on the south eastern slope of the Mount of 
Olives, about two miles from Jerusalem. It was into the 
house of Martha that Christ was received. From this, it 
appears that she was probably the elder sister, and the 
housekeeper, if not indeed the owner of the property. It 
is the opinion of eminent authorities, that Martha was, at 
this time, a widow, and that she became possessed of this 
property through her husband. However this may be, 
we learn from the evangelists that the Lord was in the 
habit of frequently withdrawing from Jerusalem, and 
spending the night with this pious, and much-loved fami- 
ly. Matthew 21 : 17, says: “And he left them, and 
went out of the city into Bethany ; and he lodged there.” 

The more perfectly to understand the conversation 
which took place between Martha and her Lord, we must 
know who and how many were the guests on this occa- 
sion. It seems to be taken for granted, that Christ went 
there alone. The evangelist Mark, 11 : 11, says, “And 
now the eventide was come, he went unto Bethany with 
the twelve. 5 ’ From this and other records we are streng th- 

* According to Rev. Frederick W. Farrar, D.D., in his Life of Christ, vol. 
2, p. 188, this visit was made on the evening of Friday, March 31, A. D. 30 
six days before the passover. 


MARY AND MARTHA. 


491 


ened in the belief that it was the custom of our Lord, when 
he retired to Bethany, for the twelve to go with him. The 
language of the narrative connected with this present visit 
is, 4 4 it came to pass as they went, he entered a certain vil- 
lage.” 44 They went” sanctions the idea that the twelve 
were with him. All the circumstances converge to the 
conviction that the twelve also came. For if the Lord 
was the only guest, why should Martha be so troubled 
and careful about much serving \ Surely there could not 
have been more of preparation than her single hands could 
have accomplished. Wherefore then her need of the help 
of her sister, unless more than a single guest was added 
to the small number of her own family % I think we have 
a probability, amounting almost to certainty, that the 
guests at this time numbered at least thirteen. If this is 
so, then there was a sufficient and obvious reason for the 
activity of Martha, and for her being 4 4 careful and troubled 
about many things.” This visit of our Lord was proba- 
bly made near the close of his ministry, and at the time 
when the consultations of the rulers were more determined 
as to how they should secure his death. The passover 
was near. 4 4 Then assembled together the chief priests, 
and the Scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the 
palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and 
consulted how they might take Jesus by subtilty, and 
kill him.” So also we have the record, 44 and he left 
them,” that is, the chief priests, and Scribes, and a multi- 
tude, in the temple where he performed wonderful cures, 
44 and went out of the city into Bethany ; and he lodged 
there.” There was a controling reason why he should 
not spend that night in Jerusalem, in the fact, well known 
to him, that the wrath of the rulers was so intense that 
they earnestly sought to kill him. It was not cowardice, 
or the fear of death, but benevolence that hurried him 
from the city to the more quiet and safer abode at Bethany. 
Had the chief priests and Scribes that night accomplished 


492 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


liis death, that death would have been simply a murder, 
and in no sense an atoning sacrifice. Our Lord came to 
this earth and took upon him humanity, that by his death 
upon the cross he might make an atonement for sin. No 
other death than that of the cross would meet all the requi- 
sitions which the Scriptures had foreshadowed, in types, 
and foretold by express revelations. So ‘ ‘ when the time 
was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly 
set his face to go to Jerusalem.” — Luke 9 : 5. This he 
did, though surrounded by cruel and subtle enemies, and 
though generously admonished by his friends not to go. 
He was not ignorant of what awaited him, for he said, 
“ ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, 
and the Son of Man is betrayed to be crucified.” It was 
not cowardice, it was not the fear of death, that made him 
cautious. It was his benevolence. Therefore he avoided 
all exposure, until, by his betrayal and mock trial, he 
should be nailed to the cross, for there the blood shedding 
would be the blood of atonement. 

I think that it is reasonably clear that in this visit to 
Bethany, he was accompanied by the twelve. So large 
an accession of guests demanded activity. Martha went 
to work with a will, and with a loving, cheerful heart. 
Finding too much for her single hands to do, she desired 
the aid of her sister. Coming for her she found her sit- 
ting at the feet of Jesus, devoutly listening to his discourse. 
The place and position of Mary, clearly illustrated her 
distinctive characteristics as both quiet and contemplative. 
She greatly preferred manifesting her love to her Lord by 
devoutly drinking in all his gracious teachings. 

Martha, knowing that the word of Christ was law for 
Mary, said, “ Lord dost thou not care that my sister hath 
left me to serve alone ? Bid her therefore that she help 
me.” I do not think that this was necessarily the lan- 
guage either of complaint or of discontent. It is not a 
fair principle of interpretation to put the worst construe- 


MARY AND MARTHA. 


493 


tion upon a statement, nnless tlie record expressly indi- 
cates it. I think I see Martha coming, cheerful and full 
of animation, her heart full of love to Christ, and her 
hands as full of work for him as they could be. With 
her characteristic loving, cheerful heart, she speaks to 
Christ in the familiarity of long and intimate friendship ; 
‘ 4 Lord dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to 
serve alone V 9 I see a playful sweetness in her manner, 
when she adds “ bid her therefore that she help me.” I 
do not think that Christ meant to be harsh and condem- 
natory when he said, “ Martha, Martha, thou art careful 
and troubled about many things. But Mary hath chosen 
that good part, which shall not be taken from her.” I 
do not think that he meant to draw an invidious and dis- 
paraging comparison between these sisters. This would 
be planting a root of bitterness, whose growth would 
yield unhallowed fruit. He understood human nature 
too well, and had in his heart too much of love for these 
sisters, thus to breed suspicion, jealousy and alienation, 
and thus break up the sweet harmony of this happy fami- 
ly. I do not think that Christ’s reply was the language 
of rebuke for the worldlinesss of Martha and of com- 
mendation for the piety of many. Nor do I think that 
he meant to condemn the care and activity of Martha, in 
her generous preparations for the comfort of her guests. 
I do not see, in his language to Martha an intended re- 
bake, anymore than Martha’s language intended a re- 
buke to him when she said, “Lord dost thou not care 
that my sister hath left me to serve alone V 9 

With so many guests to provide for, even in the plain- 
est manner, required considerable care and activity. I 
think that Christ simply stated a fact when he said, 
“thou art careful and troubled about many things.” It 
is as though he had said, Martha, you are of an ardent 
temperament, you must be all activity and zeal. You 
are, therefore, careful and anxious, because you would 


494 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


promptly and generously meet all tlie demands wliicli hos- 
pitality makes upon you ; this is your nature, and it will 
come out. When he said, “ but one thing is needful, ” he 
could not mean, as Dr. Campbel expounds it, “but one 
dish is needful,” as though he rebuked her generosity in 
providing variety as well as abundance. If, as we have 
shown, that the disciples of Christ were also guests, then 
there was full occasion for being “ cumbered about much 
serving,” and for being “careful and troubled about 
many things,” and a call for more than one dish. 

The reference made to Mary indicates that it was not 
material, but spiritual, sustenance that he designed as the 
“one thing needful.” Had Christ commanded Mary to 
go and help Martha it might have wounded her tender, 
loving heart. She would have grieved that she had been 
so unmindful of her sister’s multiplied cares, that her 
Lord must bid her go and help. He gave no command, 
as the request of Martha was sufficient. He spake for 
others, as we state below. I see here, in Christ’s man- 
ner, great delicacy and wonderful insight into char- 
acter. 

We know, from the evangelists, that it was frequently 
the case that multitudes, who had witnessed Christ’s 
miracles, followed him with the expectation of seeing yet 
other wonders. On this occasion many may have accom- 
panied him from the city, or the inhabitants of Bethany, 
hearing of his presence in the village, gathered to the 
house of Martha curious and watchful. As Christ and 
Martha were not within doors, but outside the house, all 
present could see and hear.. Seizing upon this oppor- 
tunity to speak “a word in season,” he preached to them 
over Mary. There was wisdom and benevolence in this. 
For thus, unsuspectingly, they would gather up truths 
which, if directly spoken to them they would, through 
pride, have rejected. Many disciples having the Spirit of 
Christ, have, in all the ages, been thus “wise to win 


MARY AND MARTHA. 


495 


souls.”* The coming of Martha, manifesting zeal and ac- 
tivity, and the dialogue between herself and Christ, was 
well adapted to rivet the attention. So when he said, 
“ Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be 
taken away from her,” it was admirably calculated to 
awaken inquiry. What does he mean by “the good 
part,” which has this peculiarity, “which shall not be 
taken away?” It would rush through their minds that 
it could be neither riches, nor honor, nor pleasures, nor 
friends, nor health, nor life, nor anything temporal, be- 
cause any and all these can be taken away. Thus, in- 
quiry would be started, and the more they reflected the 
deeper and more permanent would be the conviction, that 
“the one thing needful” could not be any one or all of 
the things temporal after which men pant, and for which 
they labor. Turning their eye upon Mary, sitting at the 
feet of Jesus, they would be impressed with the convic- 
tion, that the “one thing needful” was to be a loving, 
teachable disciple of Christ. Very little reflection would 
teach them that true spiritual religion is “the one thing 
needful” to enjoy life, and properly to perform all its 
duties; to endure afflictions and submissively to meet 
trials and death itself with all its fearful issues. 

The result to which we are led by this analysis of this 
family scene is, that Martha was the active, stirring house- 
wife, and that Mary was the quiet, contemplative disci- 
ple, and that each loved the Saviour, and manifested that 
love in the way that illustrated the temperament of each. 

* The author, when going up the North River, on the steamboat, was earnest- 
ly engaged in a theological discussion ’with Rev. A. Nettleton, D.D., when 
suddenly he changed the topic and spake to me as an unconverted person and 
tenderly urged me to immediate repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Soon he said let us walk a little. Then he said there were several persons be- 
hind you listening, I thought it a good opportunity to drop a word and thus 
sow the seed. I commended his wisdom and watchfulness and saw in it an 
explanation of Christ’s way of reaching sinners whilst speaking to a disciple. 
See John 11 ; 42. 


498 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


The love of Mary could not work out in the bustling, forth- 
puttings and activities of Martha. The love of Martha 
could not be confined to the quietude and contemplative 
genius of Mary. I never could see why Mary has stood, 
in the general estimation, so much higher than Martha 
for piety. N or can I see why people, and good Christian 
people too, will have it that Mary was pious, and that 
Martha was worldly, as though household activity and 
generous hospitality were inconsistent with piety. I see 
with the stirring zeal of Martha, a heart glowing with love 
to Christ. I see in the quiet, contemplative spirit of Mary, 
a love for her Lord, which, though quiet and tender, was 
strong and enduring. Happy sisters ! You both loved 
the Redeemer, but each in the way which your natural 
temperament would require you to manifest your supreme 
and never-dying affection for your Lord. I do not won- 
der that “ Jesus loved Martha and her sister.’ ’ 


THE SCENE OF SORROW. 

The evangelist John, in the eleventh chapter of his gos- 
pel, has recorded the leading items of this drama of real 
life. Here, under the cloud of deep affliction, the conduct 
of those sisters is developed in strict keeping with their 
natural temperament. The occasion was the death of 
their brother Lazarus. During his illness these sisters, 
having confidence in the power and willingness of Christ 
to heal their brother, ‘ 4 sent unto him, saying, Lord, be- 
hold, he whom thou lovest is sick.” But, whilst the 
Lord tarried, Lazarus died and was buried. “When 
Jesus came,” to Bethany, “he found that he had lain in 
his grave four days already.” How do the sisters act on 
this occasion % “ Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus 

was coming, went and met him, but Mary sat still in the 
house. 5 ’ How characteristic. Here is the vigilant, active, 


MARY AND MARTHA. 


497 


forth-putting spirit of Martha, and the quiet, patient spirit 
of Mary. Martha could not wait, but hastens to meet her 
Lord. The moment she met him her loving heart ex- 
pressed her fullest confidence, saying, “Lord, if thou 
hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, 
that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will 
give it thee.” Did she expect that Christ would, in some 
way, restore her brother to her ? Some such impression 
was upon her mind. Remembering that he had brought 
back to life the daughter of Jairus, and the only son of 
the widow of Nain, she hoped, nay expected, that he 
would give back to them their brother, whom they knew 
that Jesus loved. To encourage this expectation, he ‘ 4 said 
unto her, thy brother shall rise again.” Whilst she failed 
to take this as a promise for his immediate resurrection, 
she showed her knowledge of the Scriptures and her con- 
fidence in them as she replied, “I know that he shall 
rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Then 
Jesus made himself known to her as the Messiah, say- 
ing, “ I am the resurrection and the life : he that believe th 
in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and who- 
soever liveth and belie veth in me, shall never die. Be- 
lieveth thou this V ’ Promptly, “ she said unto him, yea, 
Lord. I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, 
which should come into the world.” This prompt and 
full-hearted confession of her faith was just like Martha. 
In this conversation her religious character stood out 
conspicuously in strength and consistency. Her intel- 
ligence and activity did not exhaust themselves in house- 
hold matters, though into these she carried her religion. 
Out of love to Christ she faithfully performed the com- 
mon duties of life. The same force of character and 
temperament made her prompt, active and intelligent in 
her religion. 

Where all this time is Mary % It is written, “ but Mary 
sat still in the house,” like the lone dove, sorrowing. Her 


498 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


sorrow, was not rebellions. It was mournful and submis- 
sive. She loved her brother, loved him strongly, tender- 
ly. Her remaining in the house must not be regarded 
either as evidence of want of love to Christ, or of the sel- 
fishness of sorrow, for her quiet temperament demonstra- 
ted her love in solitude and in tears. 

Though Martha was honored by the revelation which 
her Lord made of his Messiahship, she could not all alone 
enjoy this sweet communing with Christ. Her active 
spirit was not selfish. She thought of Mary, her crushed 
and weeping sister, and hastens to bring her to the Re- 
deemer, saying, “the Master is come, and calleth for 
thee.” That one short message was enough, for, “as 
soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came un- 
to him.” ‘ ‘ Then, when Mary was come where Jesus was, 
and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, 
Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” 
How firm and generous was her confidence in the love, in 
the willingness and power of Christ. What an impres- 
sive sight is here. This mourner prostrate at the feet of 
Jesus, in demonstration of her humility, her dependence, 
and her affection ; but weeping in the freshness and full- 
ness of her sorrow. It moved the heart of the Master. 
When Jesus, therefore, saw her weeping, he groaned in 
the spirit, and was troubled,” and “Jesus wept.” Who 
now, with cold austerity, shall forbid the warm tear of 
sympathy to flow, which our loved Master hallowed by 
his own example ? 

“And he said, where have ye laid him? They said 
unto him, come and see.” “Jesus, therefore, again 
groaning in himself, cometh to the grave. It was a cave, 
and a stone lay upon it. Jesus said, take ye away the 
stone.” Here the vigilant, active Martha interposes a 
very serious difficulty, stating the fact that Lazarus had 
been dead four days, and that the decomposition of the 
body must have commenced. Here Christ reminded her 


MAEY AND MAETHA. 


499 


of his promise, “said I not unto thee, that if thou would- 
est believe, thou sh ouldest see the glory of God.” ‘ ‘ Then 
they took away the stone from the place where the dead 
was laid. And “ Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Fa- 
ther, I thank thee, that thou hast heard me. And I knew 
that thou hearest me always ; but because of the people 
which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou 
hast sent me.” How benevolently solicitous, that the 
people might, by faith in him, have permanent benefit. 
His “groaningin spirit,” and his “groaning in himself,” 
was the earnest wrestling of his spirit in prayer. Then 
he “cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.” In- 
stantly, incipient putrif action trembled into life, “and he 
that was dead, came forth,” a living man, and a loving 
brother. O the joy and the gladness ! The quiet spirit 
of Mary, through tears of gratitude, looked uj), and 
sweetly, in radiant smiles, expressed her love to Jesus — 
her Jesus. 

Martha was more demonstrative, or she was not true to 
her nature. The swollen waters of gladness could not 
be restrained ; they breakover and rush onward rejoicing 
with shoutings and with triumph. Well, Martha, give 
full vent to thy large and loving heart. For one I will 
go with you. I love your life, your stir and your devo- 
tion. And thou too, Mary, I will not forsake you, but 
will turn to you the warm and tender side of my heart, 
and, if needs be, will sit and weep with you, and with 
you see the bright colors of the bow of promise through 
our tears. 

In this narrative the characteristics of these sisters are 
most strikingly delineated. Here in the religious prompt- 
ings the character of Martha stands out rather more con- 
spicuously than that of Mary. But no one can intelligently 
question the love of either. Here is the forth-putting ac- 
tivity of the energetic Martha ; and here also is the quiet 
reserve and tender love of the contemplative Mary. And 


500 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


now when I ask of Martha, do you love Jesus ? Promptly, 
and with a countenance all radiant with joy, she answers 
yes, yes, I do, I do. Are you sure that you love him % 
Yes, I am certain, for I am ready to serve him in any way 
that I can please him, or promote his comfort, or advance 
his interest. And now when I say to Mary, do you love 
Jesus \ Her quiet modest reply is yes, I do love him. 
Are you quite sure % Yes, I have no doubt, for my heart 
always moves towards him. I am happy when with him. 
His word is my law and delight. Hid I for one moment 
doubt his love to me, I should be wretched. I cannot be 
mistaken. I feel that I love him. Happy, happy sisters ! 
I do not wonder that “ Jesus loved Martha and her sister.” 



THE SUPPER AT BETHANY. 

The anointing of Christ, which took place at this sup- 
per, is recorded by three of the evangelists, viz. : Matthew 


MARY AND MARTHA. 


501 


26 : 6-18; Mark 14 : 3-9 ; and John 12 : 1-9. As there 
are some seeming discrepencies in these accounts, it may 
be well to note them. As the determination of the chief 
priests to put Christ to death, and the treachery and be- 
trayal of Jndas stand historically related to this supper, 
it holds a very sacred and important place in the narrative. 
Lightfoot and others are of the opinion that the supper 
named by Matthew and Mark, though taking place at 
Bethany, was a different one from that recorded by John. 
On this point the Rev. Edward Robinson, D. D., LL.D., 
in his u Harmony of the Four Gospels,” says, “ There is 
no sufficient reason for supposing, with Lightfoot and 
others, that the supper mentioned in John is a different 
one from that in Matthew and Mark. The identity of 
circumstances is too great, and the alleged differences too 
few, to leave a doubt on this point. Matthew and Mark 
narrate it as in the house of Simon, the leper. John does 
not say where it took place, but he speaks of Lazarus as 
one of those who reclined at the table, implying that the 
supper was not in his own house. ” “ Lazarus, in his own 

house, would have been the master and giver of the en- 
tertainment. In the two former evangelists, the woman 
anoints the head of Jesus; in the latter, his feet; yet 
neither excludes the other. Matthew and Mark do not 
name Mary, nor have they anywhere else mentioned her 
or Martha, or Lazarus.” Nor do they in this connection 
name Judas, whom we know as the fault-finder. 

In the statements furnished by John, we learn that 
“ Jesus, six days before the passover,” the last he ate with 
his disciples, “ came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which 
had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. They 
made him a supper, and Martha served, but Lazarus was 
one of them that sat at the table with him. Then took 
Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and 
anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her 
hair : and the house was filled with the odor of the oint- 


502 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


ment.” Here, in the incidents connected with this festive 
occasion, the characteristics of these sisters are clearly and 
beautifully acted out. 

They made this supper, not in the house of Martha, 
but “in the house of Simon, the leper.” Who this Si- 
mon was, we are not told. The only mark which distin- 
guishes him from others of the same name, a common one 
among the Jews, is that he was once a leper. Whether 
the cure was by Christ, we are not told. The fact of his 
high regard for Christ, and his willingness to manifest 
that regard by a feast for him, notwithstanding the hatred 
of the chief priests and scribes, is reasonable ground fo^ 
the belief, that gratitude for his cure, by Christ, was the 
true cause for this public recognition. The recent raising 
of Lazarus from the dead, which took place in his own 
village, of which he knew, and perhaps was a witness, so 
impressed his mind, in addition to his own cure, that he 
was fully convinced that Jesus was the promised Messiah. 
As the residents of Bethany would be acquainted with 
all the circumstances of the resurrection of Lazarus, they 
would be in a favorable state of mind to come into per- 
sonal contact with Christ. It is reasonable, therefore, to 
suppose that he made this feast to give the greater noto- 
riety to this miracle, and thus to induce others, with 
himself, to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. This view is 
in strict keeping with the benevolence of Christianity, 
which impels the new convert to seek to bring others to 
Christ. — John 1 : 41, 45, and 4 : 28, 29, 89. That he did 
not err in his expectation that curiosity would draw them 
to his house, is clear, from the record. “Much people 
of the Jews therefore, came not for Jesus sake only, but 
that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised 
from the dead.” Curiosity is a great power in shaping 
the destiny of men. The great enemy understands its 
power and uses it in a thousand varied forms, to seduce 
and ruin. There is a good use which may be made of 


MARY AND MARTHA. 


503 


this power, by which men may be attracted to and brought 
under saving influences. Christ used this power when 
he waked up inquiry in the mind of the woman of Sa- 
maria, which resulted in her salvation. It may be that 
we should charitably judge those whose methods of at- 
tracting attention to the gospel, differs from what we re- 
gard as the proprieties and dignity of the pulpit. All 
men are not made alike. Those whom we cannot reach 
by our staid and dignified manner, may be influenced by 
the more free and lively exhibitions of our somewhat er- 
ratic brother. Charity “hopeth all things;” “ charity 
never faileth.” 

There was -an unparalleled peculiarity connected with 
this supper. It was that one of the guests had actually 
been dead four days, and buried, and had been raised to 
life again. ‘ ‘ Lazarus was one of them that sat at the 
table with him.” These strange circumstances in his re- 
cent history, made him an object of great interest. All 
influenced by curiosity, would desire to see him. Some, 
impressed with the facts, as currently reported, were anx- 
ious to know the exact truth, that they might either ad- 
mit the reality of the miracle, and that he, Christ, was a 
divine messenger, or else dismiss the matter from their 
minds as unworthy of further attention. The guest for 
whom the feast was made, was Jesus of Nazareth, con- 
cerning whom there existed the most opposite and con- 
flicting opinions and feelings. These were daily gaining 
in intensity. We have seen that on the part of some, the 
friendship and the affection, were earnest sincere, and 
confiding. On the part of the scribes and chief priests, 
the hatred had become so settled and intensified, that it 
could be satisfied only with the blood of this wonderful 
person. As their malignity and hatred became more and 
more flagrant, for “ Simon the leper,” to make a feast for 
Jesus, shows his moral courage, the firmness of his char- 
acter, and his confidence in Christ as the Messiah. 


504 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


As it was not then, nor is it now customary, in the east, 
for females to eat with males, a usage they had better re- 
form, therefore, neither Mary nor Martha were among the 
invited guests. Yet both were at the feast, and in what 
they severally did they showed their love according to 
their respective temperaments. Of Martha the account is 
very brief, but it is so characteristic, and so in keeping 
with her active, cheerful, willing spirit, that all must be 
satisfied that the record is true. I said the account is 
very brief. It is all summed up in three words, “ and 
Martha served .” That tells the story, the whole story. 
When work was to be done for Christ, it would not have 
been natural or consistent to have represented Martha, 
robed in her best Sunday attire, sitting, in stiff dignity, 
and cold reserve, to be ministered unto by others. No, 
no, her Lord was there as the guest , and to him all proper 
honor must be rendered. Towards him her loving heart 
was drawn, and cheerfully, and with desire she took the 
place where she could be useful to him. To her honor 
and her everlasting praise, it is written, by the enduring 
pen of inspiration “and Martha served.” 

Who does not envy Martha her place on this occasion ? 
To wait upon J esus was high honor. To do it with a 
loving heart gave value and dignity and glory to the ser- 
vice. Christ understood the motive ; he knew that love 
brought Martha to this feast, not to be waited upon, but 
to serve. It was this love that gave this humble offering 
its matchless price and dignity. Our Lord never over- 
looks, never forgets, the smallest, or the most menial 
office, which love performs for him. He looks through 
the seeming external degradation, and fastens upon the 
noble, the warm-hearted, generous motive, and puts upon 
it a priceless value. He looks upon the glowing heart, 
and not upon the working hands. He saw the heart of 
Martha was brim full of affection, and “he loved Mar- 
tha.” He never fails to see the same generous motive 


MARY AND MARTHA. 


505 


whenever and wheresoever performed towards any hum- 
ble, loved one of his flock. “ Inasmuch as ye have done 
it unto one of the least of these, my brethren, ye have 
done it unto me.” “For whosoever shall give you a 
cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to 
Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his re- 
ward.” This ministering unto the needy, though it is 
done by the smallest needed offering, or by menial service, 
if done from love to the Master, has a value, in the esti- 
mation of Christ, which neither gold, nor the most splen- 
did demonstrations of pomp, can begin to approach. 
Martha, thine was a post of high honor. The record made 
of thee, that day, will shine on brightly through all time, 
and will not grow dim amid the radiant glories of the 
eternal world. “ Martha served.” 

“Love made her cheerful feet 
In swift obedience move.” 

Mary was not an absentee. She loved her Lord, and 
she too was present. She came very near unto him, 
and brought with her the best offering that her lov- 
ing heart could bring. And she gave it in a way that 
told how much she loved. “Then took Mary a pound 
of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the 
feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair.” Mat- 
thew and Mark tell us that this precious, costly ointment 
was contained in an alabaster box, and that Christ’s head 
was anointed. There is no contradiction in these state- 
ments, only the more particular mention of the items. 
The three accounts f urnish the full transaction. Particu- 
larly in the mention of the anointing of the head by 
Matthew and Mark, and of the feet by John, there is no 
contradiction, since both actions are consistent, and both 
the head and the feet were, in this case, anointed. As 
it was customary at festivals, and other joyful occasions, 

22 


506 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


to anoint the head with fragrant oils, and as the anointing 
of the feet was exceptional, the evangelist John, has given 
prominence to this fact, that Mary “ anointed the feet of 
Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair.” Ah ! nothing 
that she had was too good or too costly for Jesus. Her 
love gave him all her heart, and with it all her treasures. 
Nothing that she could do was too trying or too humilia- 



ting ; for her love conquered all difficulties, even sur- 
mounting the almost unconquerable control of human 
pride. Not in ostentation, but in love and humility, she 
“ anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her 



MARY AND MARTHA 


507 


hair, and the house was filled with the odor of the oint- 
ment.” No wonder, for it was love that gave it that un- 
dying fragrance which shall fill all time and all eternity. 
Unconsciously and undesignedly, by the wiping of his 
feet with her hair, she bore away with her, the rich and 
enduring fragrance of her own noble, generous, loving 
action. 


“Howe’er it be, it seems to me, 

’Tis noble only to be good ; 

True hearts are more than coronets, 

And noble deeds than Norman blood.” 

Mary loved, and Mary showed her love in appropriate 
acts, and in happy harmony with her peculiar tempera- 
ment. 

But this offering, so full of humility and warmest love, 
did not meet with universal approval. ^There was one 
person present, who stands out in lone conspicuity, for 
he looked upon this very costly offering with the eye of 
selfish greed. He did not frankly bring to the surface the 
hidden real motive which governed him, but covered his 
own selfishness with professed care for the poor. Alas ! 
alas ! how many, even at the present day, like him, with 
hypocritical words, cover up their wickedness. Neither 
Matthew, nor Mark, tell us who this person was, but John 
boldly tells the name, that the guilty one may bear his 
own infamy. “Then saith one of his disciples, Judas 
Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, why 
was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and 
given to the poor?” But for the unerring pen of inspi- 
ration, we could not have known, with certainty, what 
were the secret workings of this bad man’s heart. But 
nothing can be covered or hidden from Omniscience. For 
the thoughts of the heart are words spoken in heaven. 
The true motive is uncovered, and so blazes forth as to 
be known and read of all men. “This he said, not that 


508 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had 
the bag, and bare what was put therein. ” This is the first 
distinct revelation of the real character of Judas. Intima- 
tions had been given that all of the disciples were not true 
and loyal, nay, that one should betray the Master. Still 
there is no recorded evidence that any of the disciples 
looked upon Judas with suspicion. But sin, though long 
hidden in the heart, will sooner or later work to the sur- 
face. Sin will find us out. 

The time had now come when avarice, which was the 
besetting sin of Judas, should rapidly bring forth its ma- 
tured and terrible fruits. There is no vice so absorbing, 
so unreasonable and so degrading as avarice. It was this 
that controled the dark soul of the traitor. The sight of 
Mary’s generous offering, nay, in his estimation, sacrifice 
of valuable property, deeply moved his covetous heart. 
“To what purpose is this waste,” he indignantly ex- 
claimed. “This ointment might have been sold for three 
hundred pence, (about $50, ) and given to the poor. * ’ Had 
it taken this direction, the proceeds of the sale would have 
gone into “ the bag,” of which he was the custodian. As 
he was “a thief,” and had already appropriated trust 
money to his own use, he was filled with disgust and mad- 
ness with his lost opportunity. The next fearful step in 
his downward career of avarice, is the bargain of betrayal. 
“And he went his way and communed with the chief 
priests and captains how he might betray him unto them.” 

4 ‘And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. ’ ’ 
He doubtless knew of their murderous temper. For ‘ ‘ the 
chief priests consulted how they might put Lazarus to 
death, because, that by reason of him, many of the Jews 
went away (from the feast) and believed on Jesus.” — 
John 12 : 10, 11. 

This record throws a dark shadow of suspicion upon 
those chronic grumblers, who are constantly finding fault 
with the liberality of others, whilst they are careful not 


MARY AND MARTHA. 


509 


to bestow their own funds in the way they judge that 
others should give their wealth. In every age grumbling 
is cheaper than cash. 

The Lord would not permit the contagion of this covetous 
spirit to spread, nor would he allow the indignant re- 
mark of Judas to pain or trouble the noble, generous 
offerer, therefore, he promptly put the seal of his appro- 
bation upon this offering of Mary, and thus gave to it a 
significance which made it a memorial. ‘ £ Then said J esus, 
why trouble ye the woman ? let her alone : against the 
day of my burying hath she done this.” “She hath 
wrought a good work upon me.” “ For in that she hath 
poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my 
burial.” “ She hath done what she could.” The evan- 
gelists tell us of the unending publicity which Christ de- 
clared should be given to this memorial, which, the love 
of Mary had consecrated. ‘ ‘ Y erily I say unto you where- 
soever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole 
world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for 
a memorial of her. We are the witnesses that this re- 
cord has traveled down the centuries to the present time, 
that it is now on its wider and more accelerated progress 
round the globe. In thus praising and giving prominence 
to the anointing which Mary made “aforehand for his 
burial,” he did not intimate, in the slightest degree, that 
the poor should be overlooked or neglected. This was a 
peculiar and distinctive act, which could have no repeti- 
tion. “For the poor always ye have with you ; but me 
ye have not always.” The anointing aforehand for my 
burial must be done now or never. But your generosity 
for the poor may reach them always and ever. For the 
mission of the gospel is eminently for the poor. But on 
this occasion the benevolent feeling should rise higher 
than mere sympathy with temporary bodily sufferings, to 
those grander sympathies which take hold on Christ’s 
death, as a propitiation for sin, that thereby the lost and 


510 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


the wretched may be saved and made pure and happy 
forever. The Lord most emphatically commended her 
offering and gave to it a grand significance, when he said, 
“she hath done what she could : she is come aforehand 
to anoint my body to the burying.” What higher eulo- 
gium can be spoken, and that too when spoken by the lips 
of unerring truth ? Of how many living disciples, now 
working for Christ, can it honestly be said, “she hath 
done what she could.” Yet this is the record which the 
Master, in letters of pure, inextinguishable light, has writ- 
ten of Mary. Blessed woman ! Thrice happy sisters ! I 
do not wonder that “ Jesus loved Martha and her sister.” 

Bo you ask me which of these sisters I love the most % 
I confess that my own mind balances. There is some- 
thing so captivating in the lively, cheerful, outspoken ac- 
tivity and enterprise of Martha, that I rejoice when she 
comes forward, and I love to stay in her company. I 
think it safe to say that I love, sincerely love Martha. 
Still, there is something so winning and subduing in the 
deep devotion and reverential love, in the gentle retiring, 
yet decided spirit of Mary, that, I am glad to visit her. 
The hours spent in her company are both sweet and pre- 
cious. I am certain that I love, sincerely love Mary. I 
will not choose between them, since, as they are both in 
heaven, it is a violation of no law, human or divine, for 
me to have them both. Like my blessed Lord, I, too, 
k“love Martha and her sister.” 

^ Bo you say that religion demands fidelity in the house- 
hold rather than in out- door activity % There are persons, 
excellent persons too, and very capable, who excuse them- 
selves from all claims without the circle of home, and act 
upon the theory, that when they have diligently attended 
to all household matters, they have discharged the whole 
duty of woman. Such plead, that “charity begins at 
home,” practically meaning that it ends there. How nar- 
row and contracted must the charity be whose center and 


MARY AND MARTHA. 


511 


circumference is contained in the house we live in. In- 
spiration teaches, that “ charity seeketh not her own,” 
exclusively. “ Charity never faileth.” Martha was a 
thrifty, careful and industrious housekeeper. She was 
more than this. Whilst she attended faithfully to all her 
family affairs, as a religious duty, she also manifested the 
intelligence and activity of her religion in serving others, 
when their necessities required help. She was ‘ £ cumbered 
about much serving,” and “ careful and troubled about 
many things,” when Christ and the twelve were her guests. 
But when her neighbor, “ Simon, the leper, made Christ 
a supper,” then she went outside of home, “ and served .” 
Her religion was a controling, benevolent power, and it 
manifested itself, indoors and outdoors, as the exigencies 
demanded. Thus was illustrated her love for Jesus, in 
doing for others, as well as for her immediate family. 

Does not religion consist in devoting our time and ac- 
tivities to public interests? This Martha did not do. 
For, with all her zeal and activity, and generous regard 
for the good of others, she did not neglect nor undervalue 
her family cares. It is a grand mistake, when any Chris- 
tian mother feels that the care of her children and of her 
house is a drudgery to which she cannot submit, or that 
her talents demand for her a more conspicuous station, 
and a wider field of labor. N obody can take the mother’ s 
place, and do for the children what a mother’s love will 
do, if not prevented. She, better than all others, during 
the tender and impressive years of childhood, can “ bring 
them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” 
For the assurance is, “ train, up a child in the way he 
should go : and when he is old, he will not depart from 
it.” God does bless the children of faithful, pious par- 
ents. “The curse of the Lord is in the bouse of the 
wicked : but he blesseth the habitation of the just.” Paul, 
when writing to Timothy, said, “ I thank God when I call 
to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which 


512 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


dwelt first in thy grandmother, Lois, and thy mother, 
Eunice; and I am persuaded in thee also.” Parental 
fidelity, in the religious training of children, at home, has 
always been blessed of God, whilst negligence here has 
furnished many, very many, cases of wayward, irreligious 
children, who have pierced the parental heart with grief, 
and brought many gray heads with sorrow to the grave. 
Neither Sunday School, nor Bible class instruction, will 
excuse the parent’ s neglect. They may supplement, but 
never can take the place of parental instruction and nur- 
ture. 

No person can, in the most important comforts of home, 
take the place of the wife and mother, the proper female 
head. Those who attend to public out-door calls, no mat- 
ter how important, and habitually neglect or undervalue 
the care of the house and the household, do it at a fear- 
ful expense. Consistency of Christian character is gone, 
and with it the most penetrating and sweetly abiding in- 
fluences of a Christian mother’s nurture. The consistent 
Christian wife makes her house the inviting happy home 
for her husband and children. It is full of cheer and 
sunshine. If the house is neglected or given up to the 
hands of hirelings, there cannot be a united, happy home. 
There certainly will come clouds and discontent, which 
must alienate and destroy domestic happiness. Whilst it 
is to be feared that mistaken views of duty, calling away 
the wife and mother from home, have made many homes 
desolate, and driven the husband and father to other and 
worse places, for the cheer and welcome he finds not at 
home, I do not, for one moment, justify or excuse the 
husband for such conduct. Much less do I excuse, but 
strongly condemn, the practice of those husbands who, 
leaving their loving wives to loneliness and solitude, and 
tears, whilst they, with kindred spirits, regale themselves 
in clubs, and return to their home, morose and degraded. 
Many a sorrowing wife has thus been brought to an early 


MARY AND MARTHA. 


513 


and untimely grave. At whose hands shall the death of 
these sorrowing ones be required, when inquisition is 
made for blood. 

There is no antagonism between home and more public 
duties to the well-balanced mind. Each has its proper 
place. Home cares must not absorb all thought and all 
affection, regardless of the necessities of others ; for this 
would be pure selfishness. So out-door duties must not 
monopolize the heart and mind ; for these may mislead and 
deceive. Both should be regulated by our love to the 
Lord. There is not, there cannot be, anything degrading 
in home duties, if attended to with a proper motive. The 
most menial and humble acts become noble, when per- 
formed out of love to the Lord. 


“ A servant with this clause, 

Makes drudgery divine ; 

Who sweeps a room for thy laws, 

Makes that and the action fine.” 

The costliness of the offering which Mary made, and the 
marked attention which these sister received on the death 
of their brother Lazarus, proves that they were not in a 
mean station in life, but in very respectable and comfort- 
able circumstances. Still Martha was faithful to her 
home cares, and also was active to serve, in the house of 
“Simon, the leper,” when Christ was the guest. Thus 
did she happily blend and harmonize her home duties 
and her out-door calls. 

Hoes not religion consist in the cultivation of our re- 
ligious tastes ! Mary, it is true, was of a quiet and con- 
templative temperament. Retiring from the busy throng, 
she loved to learn of Christ. Still she was ever ready and 
prompt in her obedience. She was not selfish in the cul- 
tivation of her love of meditation and careful only for 
what was pleasant to her, and which disturbed not her 


514 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


love of solitude. She was generous and self-denied, and 
active when self-denial and activity were demanded. She 
could sit delighted at the feet of Jesus, and drink in with 
warm affection, his gracious words. She could sit soli- 
tary and weep tears of sorrowing submission, when her 
brother died. She could instantly wipe away those tears, 
and come forth at the bidding of the Lord. She told the 
confidence of her heart in him, and at his feet looked up 
for comfort. She could take with her the most precious 
offering in her possession, and leaving her loved retire- 
ment give it to Jesus ; anointing with it his feet, and wip- 
ing them with her hair. Here was no recluse, no vision- 
ary devotee, no selfish, dreaming saint ; but a quiet, loving, 
obedient spirit, ready to learn, and ready and willing to 
do whatever the love of Jesus might demand. 

With all the expressed admiration of Mary, and may 
I not say with implied depreciation of Martha, she has 
not now, I think, as many followers as the good of indi- 
viduals and the prosperity of the church demands. The 
multiplication of Marys, as also of Marthas, would 
greatly improve the spirituality, and the enterprize and 
godly zeal of the churches. 

Is not Christian experience uniform ? Mary and Mar- 
tha each loved Jesus, but they manifested that love very 
differently, and in a way corresponding with the natural 
temperament of each. How sad it would have been, had 
Martha said, I am too “careful and troubled about many 
things,” I am too lively and stirring, therefore I cannot 
be religious, because I am not like Mary, who is so sweet 
and gentle, so spiritual and exemplary. 0, how I wish I, 
were just like her ! I will try to be. I will put restraints 
upon my spirits, I will be still and quiet, I will not laugh 
or smile, or be glad. I will, yes, I will be so much like 
her, in my looks, my tones of voice, my quiet, gentle 
ways, that every body will think that I am Mary, then I 
shall be sure that I am religious, and then the Lord will 
love me, for I know he loves Mary. 


MARY AND MARTHA. 


515 


And what if Mary had said, 0, that I were more like 
Martha? I am such a stupid, mournful drone, whilst 
she is all love and activity, and happy as the day is long. 
I will be more stirring and enterprising ; I will laugh and 
be merry, I will be all the time employed in some active 
duty, then I shall be like Martha, and shall show that 
I am religious, and the Master will love me, for I know 
that he loves Martha. 

Unlike as these sisters were in natural temperament, 
they each loved Christ, and we have the word of unerring 
truth, that notwithstanding these diversities, “ Jesus 
loved Martha and her sister.” 

For Mary and Martha to write bitter things against 
themselves, because each was not just like the other, in 
the development of their religious experiences, would 
have been unwise, and productive of no good results. 
But not more so than the anxieties and conflicts in which 
many are now engaged. Some torment themselves be- 
cause they are not like that quiet, uniform, steady brother, 
who is never excited, who never approaches hilarity, 
whose looks, and tones, and walk, are all serious. Such 
say to themselves, I too, should be pious and consistent, 
if like this brother. But alas, I am often borne away, into 
what, by comparison, appears to be levity and irreligious 
mirth. Perhaps this quiet, uniform, serious, steady 
brother, mourns in secret before God, that his life is so 
much like the dead sea, which no wind stirs, and that his 
daily walk does not recommend religion. Nay, he fears 
| that the young may conclude that religion does not make 
'people happy ; that it takes away the joys of an uncon- 
verted life, and in their place puts sadness and depression. 
He says, O, that I had the life, the spirit, the activity, 
and the happiness of that joyous young brother, then I 
should recommend religion. The fact is, these two men 
•.were not made alike in their natural temperament, and 
grace cannot make them act alike. It is no part of religion 


516 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


to make all saints alike, just as are bullets, which are run 
into the same mould. “ There are diversities of gifts, but 
the same Spirit.” “ There are diversities of operations, 
but the same God which worketh in all.” 

The great, essential question, about which there should 
be no uncertainty, is this, do I truly love Christ, and do 
I aim in all my walks to please God % This settled in the 
affirmative, allow of no comparisons to disturb and hin- 
der. Press on, and in the place and surroundings where 
God, in his providence, has placed you ; do his will and 
bidding promptly and cheerfully. Surrendering your- 
self wholly and unreservedly to him, pray earnestly for 
the indwelling of his Spirit, that you may be illuminated 
and guided; for he will “ guide you with his counsel, 
and afterward receive you to glory.” 

Religion, if it is true and genuine, will not copy its 
manifestations from any merely human model, for all 
such are imperfect and marked by peculiarities. True 
religion must act out its generous, loving, obedient spirit, 
in the way of the characteristic temperament of each. It 
will regulate and sweeten and make lovely the temper 
and the whole conduct. But it will not make the phleg- 
matic like the person who is all nerve and fire. It will 
not make the cool, mathematical and deliberate, like the 
poet, whom imagination rules, and whose mind is filled 
with bright and glowing visions. Religion will bring all 
the varied powers, of all minds and hearts into cheerful 
willing obedience to Christ, and will make each and all 
love him truly and supremely ; but it will not cause all 
to manifest that love in the same precise manner. Each 
will show his love as it works out in keeping with his 
characteristic temperament. This view, whilst it comforts 
and encourages, will also temper and render more chari- 
table the judgment which we pass upon our fellow Chris- 
tians. Those, whom we feel inclined to censure, may have 
more of love to Christ the Saviour, than we have, though 


MARY AND MARTHA. 


517 


they do not show it in the way we find it both easy and 
convenient for ns to manifest it. As it is impracticable, in 
the diversified circumstances and training of men, to make 
them all think exactly alike, so it is equally hopeless to 
expect that, even the grace of God, will make all Chris- 
tians act exactly alike. As in nature, variety, subject to 
law, marks the works of God ; so variety in Christian ex- 
perience, subject to the law of love, rules in the kingdom 
of grace. The conclusion of the whole matter is this. 
Individually love Christ truly and strongly. Imitate no 
man. Adopt right principles, as taught by the Scriptures; 
courageously carry them out in practice. Dare to act 
out your settled convictions. Under the teachings of the 
Holy Spirit, make your own religious character. Thus 
you will be natural, and without guile. Thus you will 
have peace with God and peace with your own conscience, 
and all men will take “ knowledge of you that you have 
been with Jesus.” Thus you will spend a life of Chris- 
tian comfort and usefulness, and, growing daily into the 
likeness of Christ, will be ‘ ‘ made mete for the inheritance 
of the saints in light,” and prepared, through riches of 
grace, for an “ abundant entrance,” into the glories of 
the heavenly world. 


CHEERFUL CHRISTIAN. 


“Artist, attend— your brushes and your paint — 

Produce them — take a chair — now draw a saint, 

O sorrowful and sad ! the streaming tears 
Channel her cheeks — a Niobe appears I 
Is this a saint ! Throw tints and all away — 

True piety is cheerful as the day, 

Will weep indeed, and heave a pitying groan, 

For others’ woes, but smiles upon her own.” — C owper. 


518 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


CONTENTED CHRISTIAN. 


“Yon cottager, who weaves at her own door, 
Pillow and bobbins all her little store ; 

Content though mean, and cheerful if not gay, 
Shuffling her threads about the live-long day, 

Just earns a scanty pittance, and at night 
Lies down secure, her heart and pocket light ; 

She for her humble sphere by nature fit, 

Has little understanding and no wit ; 

Receives no praise : but, though her lot be such, 
Toilsome and indigent, she renders much ; 

Just knows, and knows no more, her Bible true — 
A truth the brilliant Frenchman* never knew ; 
And in that charter reads with sparkling eyes 
Her title to a treasure in the skies.”— Cowpeb. 


* Voltaire. 


JUDAS. 


Free Agency Demonstrated. 



0 


p. 519 


JUDAS. 


FEES AGENCY DEMONSTEATED. 


A man with sufficient intelligence to make a bargain is 
universally regarded as a free agent, and an accountable 
person. This principle is so simple and just as to com- 
mend it to the common sense of mankind. All attempts, 
for such a person, charged with crime, to escape respon- 
sibility by the plea that he was not a free agent would be 
rejected. The fact that he had engaged to do a service 
for a stipulated price, or had employed another to do it, 
would preclude all doubt of his freedom and accounta- 
bility. 

A man brought into court charged with theft, pleads 
that he is not responsible because he is not a free agent. 
Upon examination he admits that he had entered into a 
bargain with others to do that of which he stands charged. 
As the inducement they agreed to pay him a stipulated 
price if he succeeded. He admits that he received the 
money promised and that he would not have rendered the 
service but for the price. The court recognizing the fact 
that the prisoner had a clear perception of the nature of 
a bargain, would decide that he knew enough to make him 
responsible, as a free agent, for the consequences of his 
conduct. 

In the narrative of the betrayal of Jesus of Nazareth, 
we have this statement : “ What will ye give me, and I 
will deliver him unto you ? And they covenanted with 

p. 520 


JUDAS. 


521 


him for thirty pieces of silver.’ ’ — Matt. 26 : 15. Here is 
unmistakably a bargain. It is made between two parties, 
each binding himself to the conditions clearly stated. 
Judas engages to deliver Jesus into the hands of the chief 
priests ; and the chief priests promise to pay Judas thirty 
pieces of silver for his services. 

Among the active promoters, and the successful ac- 
complishers of the terrible tragedy of the betrayal and 
crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, Judas Iscariot and the 
chief priests stand most conspicuous. We propose to 
bring them into court and try them, on the princle above 
stated, that the man who has sufficient intelligence to 
make a bargain, is a free agent, and accountable for his 
conduct. 

JUDAS ISCARIOT. 

Ques. You stand charged with the crime of the be- 
trayal and the murder of Jesus of Nazareth. What have 
you to say 1 

Ans. Not guilty. 

Ques. W hy not guil ty ? 

Ans. I had nothing to do with the killing of Jesus of 
Nazareth. When he was tried and condemned I gave no 
testimony. When he was put to death I was not present, 
and could not have taken any part in it. 

Ques. Did you not agree to deliver him into the hands 
of those who did put him to death ? 

Ans. I did. I was so driven on by an irresistible im- 
pulse, that I knew not what I did. I could not have done 
otherwise. 

Ques. Did the chief priests hunt you up and propose 
to you to deliver Jesus of Nazareth into their hands ? 

Ans. No, they did not. 

Ques. Did you go to them, and make to them the offer % 

Ans. Yes, I did. 


522 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Qaes. Why did you do this ? 

Ans. I do not know, for my mind was then in a most 
terrible agitated condition. I think I must have been 
crazy. 

Ques. Had anything occurred to cause this state of 
mind? 

Ans. Yes. When Jesus and his disciples were in the 
town of Bethany, and a supper was made for him, then 
a woman, named Mary, took “a pound of ointment of 
spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus” 
with it. This appeared to me to be an unwarranted piece 
of extravagance. Being indignant, I spoke out, “why 
was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and 
given to the poor ?” Then Jesus, fastening his wonderful 
eye upon me, approved of what this Mary had done. 
That look of his sent such a rebuke that it cut me to the 
heart. I felt it searching my inmost soul, detecting my 
most secret motive. I then felt that all my fellow-disci- 
ples understood the approbation of Mary as a rebuke to 
me. I felt that they understood that look. When they 
saw the workings of my countenance, I felt that they de- 
spised me. For it carried the implication that I was a 
thief. This made me fearfully wrathful. The more I 
brooded over it, the more maddened I became, and I 
thirsted for revenge. I then determined that I would no 
longer be his disciple, and live under such suspicion. 

Ques. Did you not after this continue with the disci- 
ples ? 

Ans. Yes. I went with them to the passover feast. 

Ques. Why did you continue with them ? 

Ans. I noticed that their conduct towards me was not 
changed, and that they had no suspicions of my fidelity. 
Besides I wanted to watch Jesus, whether he would say 
anything against me to the disciples, or make any more 
charges. 

Ques. Did anything particular and personal take place 
at the supper ? 


JUDAS. 


523 


Ans. Yes. Jesus again fastened Ms searcMng eye 
upon me, and with impressive sadness in his tone said, 
4 4 one of you which eateth with me shall betray me. ’ 5 This 
statement amazed the disciples, and filled them with great 
sorrow. They 4 4 looked one on another, doubting of whom 
he spake.” 44 They began to say unto him, one by one, 
Lord, is it If’ He replied, 4 4 he that dippeth his hand 
with me in the dish, the same shall betray me. The Son 
of Man goeth as it is written of him ; but woe unto that 
man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed ! It had been 
good for that man if he had not been born.” 

Ques. Did he name you as that person, and thus re- 
lieve the minds of the disciples % 

Ans. Ho, seeing that the disciples were not suspicious 
of me, but rather, each of himself, I also, that I might 
not appear singular, said, 4 4 Master, is it I V ’ 

Ques. Did he reply to your question ? 

Ans. Yes, looking me full in the face, he said unto 
me, 4 4 thou hast said.” 4 4 He it is, to whom I shall give 
a sop, when I have dipped it, and when he had dipped 
the sop, ’ ’ he gave it unto me. This turned every eye upon 
me. I could not meet their indignant, scornful gaze, 
much less the sorrowful, searching, terrible eye of Jesus. 
So sudden and violent were the uprising of my malignant 
passions, that I have no doubt the devil then entered in 
and took full possession of me. Driven on, and control- 
led by him, and stung to the quick by this charge made 
against me in the presence of all the disciples, I hurried 
away. Under the maddening influence of the charge and 
the contempt of the disciples, I went to the palace of the 
high priest. 

Ques. Why did you go to the high priest ? 

Ans. As I had now resolved to quit Jesus and his dis- 
ciples, I naturally sought the company of those who were 
opposed to him. 

Ques.. Did the high priests receive you cordially ? 


524 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Ans. ISTot at first. They acted very cautiously. They 
knew that I was a disciple of Jesus, and they suspected 
that I had come to entrap them. For a time it was em- 
barrassing to both. I knew not how to make the offer to 
betray Jesus, and they were not prepared to ask me to do 
it, until they knew my then purpose. 

Ques. What took place at this meeting, to relieve the 
embarrassment ? 

Ans. I told them that I had been so badly treated by 
Jesus and his disciples, that I had abandoned him and 
his cause. The chief priests asked the particulars, when 
I told them of the charge, that I should betray him. They 
quickly asked, are you willing ? I said I was. 

Ques. Did you then make an agreement with them 
to deliver Jesus into their hands? 

Ans. Yes. The high priests and I, then and there, 
arranged that in a secret manner, Jesus should be deliv- 
ered to them. 

Ques. Why arrest Jesus secretly, and not by the open 
process of law ? 

Ans. It was through fear of the people, for Jesus was 
popular. 

Ques. If you thus made an agreement, why are you 
not a guilty party to his death ? 

Ans. Because it was the devil who put this into my 
head, and drove me on to do this deed. 

Ques. Do you believe that the devil could enter a 
man, unless the man was willing that he should, and 
would find a welcome? 

Ans. I suppose, that in the then condition of my 
mind, being set on revenge, I made no resistance to his 
temptation, and was pleased to have my determination 
strengthened. 

Ques. Did you not make a bargain with the chief 
priests ? 

Ans. Yes, we agreed about the work to be done, and 
the price to be paid. 


judas. 525 

Ques. Did you understand the nature of this bar- 
gain ? 

Ans. I did. I was to deliver Jesus, and they were to 
pay me for it. 

Ques. Did you willingly enter into this bargain ? 

Ans. I did, for I could not do it if I were unwilling. 

Ques. Did the high priests use any force to compel 
you ? 

Ans. No, they only expressed their purpose to have 
Jesus, and their willingness to pay for the service. 

Ques. What did you say' about the price? 

Ans. I said, what will ye give me, and I will deliver 
him unto you. And they covenanted with me for thirty 
pieces of silver. 

Ques. Did you receive this amount from them ? 

Ans. Yes, they counted it out to me, and I put it in 
my bag. 

Ques. Did they then dismiss you, and let you go % 

Ans. They put no restraint upon me, though some of 
their company were always with me, as I sought the op- 
portunity to deliver Jesus into their hands. 

Ques. Could you have backed out of this bargain by 
the return of the money % 

Ans. Yes, I suppose I could. But I felt myself bound 
by my word, and I wanted to keep the money. 

Ques. Was there any plan or arrangement by which 
the arrest of Jesus was to be secured % 

Ans. Yes. I told them that Jesus would go to the 
Garden of Gethsemane that night, and that it would be a 
favorable occasion. 

Ques. Did you and they go there ? 

Ans. Yes, that night they were to meet me, at an ap- 
pointed place, bringing with them a sufficient number of 
armed men, and I was to conduct them to the garden. 

Ques. Was there any sign agreed upon, to prevent the 
arrest of the wrong person ? 


526 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Ans. Yes, I told them I would go directly up to J esus 
and would say, “hail Master, and kiss him.” 

Ques. Did you carry out this plan ? 

Ans. Yes. I led the chief priests with the soldiers to 
the garden; I went up to Jesus and said, hail Master, and 
kissed him. 

Ques. Did J esus make any resistance, or say anything ? 

Ans. He made no resistance ; but fastening his won- 
derful eye upon me, he said, “friend, wherefore art thon 
come V 9 “ Betrayeth thou the Son of Man with a kiss V 9 
This for the moment staggered me. So plaintive was his 
voice, and so sadly kind was his look, it cut me to the 
heart, and I felt sorry that I had undertaken this sad 
business. But it was too late. Immediately the soldiers 
“laid hands on Jesus and bound him.” 

Ques. Was there any resistance made to this seizure ? 

Ans. Yes. Peter, with his sword, cut off the right 
ear of one of the servants of the high priest. 

Ques. How came Peter to attack this particular per- 
son? 

Ans. I do not know, unless it was because he was 
prominent in leading and helping the soldiers in binding 
Jesus. 

Ques. Did this act of Peter lead to a general conflict ? 

Ans. Ho. Jesus rebuked Peter. He then touched 
the ear of the servant and healed it. This prevented any 
conflict. And they hurried Jesus away to the house of 
Annas. 

Ques. Did you not know that the high priests were 
enemies of Jesus % 

Ans. I knew that they were not his disciples, and that 
they rejected his claim to be the Messiah. 

Ques. Had you never known of their expressing their 
hatred of him ? 

Yes. They called him a deceiver, a pestilent fellow, 
that he had a devil, and other disreputable names. 


JUDAS. 


527 


Ques. Bid you know of any efforts which they made 
to bring Jesus into trouble ? 

Ans. Yes, they sent persons to entrap him in his dis- 
courses ; they gainsayed his miracles, saying, he cast out 
devils by the aid of Beelzebub. 

Ques. Bid you know of any attempts made upon his 
life? 

Ans. Yes ; on the occasion of curing the man at the 
pool of Bethsaida, on the Sabbath day, they “ sought the 
more to kill him.” Once in the temple, Jesus said to 
them, “why go ye about to kill me?” At Nazareth, 
when Jesus spake in the synagogue, “they were filled 
with wrath — they thrust him out of the city to the brow 
of the hill, to cast him down headlong. Again “they con- 
sulted that they might take Jesus by subtility and kill 
him.” 

Ques. As a disciple, being with Jesus, you knew of 
these manifestations of hatred on the part of the high 
priests and those under their influence, and that they were 
his enemies ? 

Ans. Yes, I could not doubt their enmity. 

Ques. Knowing their enmity, and that they sought his 
life, you went to them ? 

Ans. Yes, I did. Having separated myself from him 
and his company, I naturally, as I have already stated, 
sought companions among those opposed to him. 

Ques. Knowing these facts, you went of your own ac- 
cord to the high priests, and knowing the nature of a 
bargain you agreed with them, for thirty pieces of silver, 
to deliver Jesus into their hands. 

Ans. I did, and having received the money I carried 
out and fulfilled the contract, as in honor bound. 

Ques. What did you do after that Jesus was carried 
to the house of the high priest ? 

Ans. I hung around, being curious and anxious to see 
liow it would terminate. 


528 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Ques. What did you do when you saw that Jesus was 
condemned ? 

Ans. I was disappointed ; I felt intensely miserable ; 
I was sorry for what I had done ; I determined to pre- 
vent, if possible, the crucifixion ; I went to the temple ; 
I brought the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests 
and confessed my sin, saying, “I have sinned in that I 
have betrayed the innocent blood.” I hoped, by handing 
back the money, they would cancel the bargain and let 
Jesus go. They scorned me, saying, “ what is that to us % 
see thou to that.” Maddened in despair, I threw down 
the money, which now burned like fire, and rushed out 
of the temple. 


TESTIMONY OF CHIEF PRIEST. 

Ques. Were you the chief priest at the time of the 
crucifixion of Jesus? 

Ans. I was. 

Ques. Do you know the man called Judas Iscariot ? 

Ans. Yes, he was for some time a disciple of Jesus of 
Nazareth. 

Ques. Did you ever have any business transaction with 
him % 

Ans. Yes, once when he was employed in arresting a 
deceiver called Jesus of Nazareth, that we might bring 
him to trial for offences against our law. 

Ques. Did you regard Judas as a responsible person, 
competent to understand the nature of a bargain \ 

Ans. Certainly, or we would not have given him money 
for the service he engaged to render. 

Ques. Did you make a bargain with him ? 

Ans. Yes, we engaged to give him thirty pieces of sil- 
ver, if he would point out the retreat of Jesus, and hand 
him over to us. 


judas. 529 

Ques. Did lie intelligently perform Ms part of tlie con- 
tract % 

Ans. Yes, in every particular, and to our entire satis- 
faction. 

Ques. Did lie ever try to cancel this bargain ? 

Ans. Not until after the condemnation of Jesus ; then, 
when it was too late for us to do anything, he came to us 
and handed back the money. 

Ques. Where was this done % 

Ans. It was in the temple. 

Ques. What was Ms appearance and manner % And 
what did he say ? 

Ans. He seemed to be in great trouble, and under fear- 
ful excitement. He said, “ I have sinned, in that I have 
betrayed the innocent blood.” 

Ques. Did you receive again the money, and release 
Judas from blame \ 

Ans. Certainly not. It was no longer our money. He 
had earned it by fulfilling his part of the contract. 

Ques. What reply did you make to this confession % 

Ans. We told him that he alone was responsible for 
his acts, and must bear the consequences. We did not 
think it innocent blood. 

Ques. Was he satisfied with your decision ? 

Ans. No. We cut the matter short, saying, “what 
is that to us ? See thou to that,” meaning that we should 
have no concern about what he had done, or about his 
present confession and distress. 

Ques. Did you regard him as a free agent, and respon- 
sible for his conduct ? • 

Ans. Certainly, or we should not have used the lan- 
guage we did. 

Ques. What became of the money % 

Ans. He threw it down on the pavement of the temple 
and rushed out. As it was the price of blood, it was not 
lawful to put it into the treasury, so we bought the pot- 
ter’ s field with it. 23 


530 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Ques. Do yon know what became of Judas ? 

Ans. Yes. He went in his despair and 44 hanged him- 
self.” The rope haying broken or slipped, he was found 
44 burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed 
out,” a miserable mangled corpse. 


JUDAS’ DEFENSE. 

Ques. What have you to say in your defense ? 

Ans. I was not a free agent. I only did' what I could 
not help doing. 

Ans. Why not a free agent when you made that bar- 
gain % 

Ans. Because Jesus often said that he should be be- 
trayed, that the Scriptures might be fulfilled. When he 
pointed me out as the person to betray him, he said, 4 4 truly 
the Son of Man goeth as it was determined.” In what I 
did, I only fulfilled the prediction, and carried out the 
divine purpose. 

Ques. Was the motive which induced you to betray 
Jesus, a desire to fulfill the prediction of Jesus and the 
Scriptures, and thus sustain the veracity of Gfod \ 

Ans. I cannot say that it was my motive. 

Ques. Did you at all think of it at the time ? 

Ans. Ho, for my mind was then filled with other 
thoughts. 

Ques. Did Jesus point you out as the betrayer, until 
you had made the bargain with the priests. 

Ans. Ho, it was after my visit to the priests that I 
went to the passover. 

Ques. Why do you then plead that you were only ful- 
filling the divine purpose ? 

Ans. Because, on thinking over the whole transaction, 
this appears to exculpate me from blame. 

Ques. Do you not know that it is the motive which 


JUDAS. 


531 


determines the will, and that gives the character to the 
action ? 

Ans. I do. Bnt it seems to me that if I carry out the 
divine purpose, I do a right thing. 

Ques. Do you not admit that you had no intention of 
carrying out the divine purpose, and that you had other 
positive motives which decided you to betray Jesus? 

Ans. I did not then think of the divine purpose, but 
other motives influenced me. 

Ques. Do you now think that those motives were pro- 
per ones ? 

Ans. I thought so then. I do not think so now. I 
am sorry for what I then did ; for things have turned out 
very differently from what I expected. 

Ques. What reason had you to expect a different ter- 
mination, when you knew the feelings of the priests. 

Ans. I had so often seen Jesus disentangle himself 
from the schemes of his enemies, I thought he would do 
so now. All I intended, was to gratify my feelings of 
revenge, to get thirty pieces of silver, and enjoy the con- 
fusion and disappointment of the priests, when Jesus 
should confound them and escape. But when I saw that 
Jesus did not escape, but was condemned to crucifixion, 
then I was sorry, and I carried the money back to the 
priests, to have the bargain cancelled, but they refused 
to cancel it, and are the persons guilty of the murder of 
Jesus of Nazareth. 


DECISION. 

Judas— ’from your own statements, it appears that you 
was angry with Jesus for approving of Mary, and rebuk- 
ing you in the matter of the precious ointment ; that you 
then determined to abandon Jesus, and gratify your 
revengeful feelings. You knew that the chief priests 


532 


BIBLE PKIUCIPLES. 


were inimicable, and desired to have Jesus in their power, 
and you sought them, and made a bargain with them, 
stipulating for thirty pieces of silver, to deliver him into 
their hands. Your motive was pecuniary gain, and the 
gratification of personal revenge. You went to the pass- 
over, where you met Jesus and his disciples. There you 
played the hypocrite. You deliberately arranged with 
the high priests, the plan for the betrayal. You met 
them at night, at the concerted time and place, with armed 
bands. You led them to the garden, and under the guise 
of a disciple, and with the kiss, the token of affection, 
you came up to Jesus, saying : “ hail Master, and kissed 
him.” This was the sign by which they might certainly 
know which was Jesus. In your voluntary confession, 
made in the temple to the high priests, you declared that 
you were guilty in u that you had betrayed the innocent 
blood.” All these acts are clearly those of a free moral 
agent. Your plea of fulfilling the divine purpose was 
an after thought, and had no influence at the time upon 
your actions, and cannot be admitted as circumscribing 
your free agency. In view, therefore, of the whole case, 
with the motives which certainly ruled and determined 
your conduct, it is clear that you were a free, moral agent, 
and that you are accountable for your conduct, and for 
all its results. The sentence is, therefore, inevitable and 
just, that you were a guilty party to the murder of Jesus 
of Nazareth. 

History tells us that “he departed and went and hang- 
ed himself.” — Matt. 27 : 5. “Now this man purchased 
a field with the reward of iniquity, and falling headlong, 
he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed 
out.” — Acts 1 : 18. “Judas by transgression, fell, that 
he might go to his own place. ’ ’ — Acts 1 : 25. ‘ ‘ The wick- 

ed is driven away in his wickedness : but the righteous 
hath hope in his death.” — Prov. 14 : 32. 

A question of some interest just here seeks an answer. 


JUDAS. 


533 


Why did the Lord permit such a character as Judas to 
continue so long a time as his disciple ? “ He needed not 

that any should testify of man : for he knew what was in 
man.” — John 2 : 25. He knew that Judas would betray 
him. The discovery of his treachery was not an unex- 
pected event, coming upon him by surprise. Knowing 
perfectly the most secret thoughts and intentions of the 
traitor, he foretold everything as it came to pass. Why 
then did he allow him to remain with no intimations 
which might place the loyal disciples on their guard? 
There certainly was a wise purpose in this. The results 
have proved the wisdom. The Lord being betrayed by 
one of his disciples, who had the best opportunity of 
knowing him, in private as well as in public, turns out to 
be the strongest testimony in his favor. Judas having 
sold himself to the chief priests, was wholly in their pow- 
er. He would naturally be disposed to furnish them with 
every information which would be acceptable to them who 
were eager for anything which would damage Christ and 
help them in their accusations. 

If Jesus had been a deceiver, Judas could have furnished 
the proof and would have been a reliable witness. If the 
Lord was selfish, and aimed to promote his personal am- 
bition or worldly advancement, Judas would have known 
it and could have sustained the charge. “ He stirreth up 
the people.” — Luke 23 : 5. If Judas could show that 
Christ, in his private life, harbored secret vices, — was a 
glutton, a wine bibber, or addicted to any other disreput- 
able sin, which would subject him to the scorn and con- 
tempt of the virtuous, the priests would have gloried in 
such an exposure and made full use of it. If Judas could 
have fixed on the Lord such blemishes as inconsistency, 
equivocation, murmuring, discontent, ingratitude, irregu- 
larity in his devotions, and hard upon the poor, the priest 
would have regarded him as a godsend. But Judas had 
no such resources to fall back upon. Though he had de- 


534 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


serted and betrayed bis Lord, and thus completed bis vil- 
lainy — tbougb despised by those who bad employed him — 
tbongb tortured by remorse and the horrors of an accusing 
conscience, all that be could say to the priests was, “ I 
have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.” 
How this whole case testifies to the pure and exalted char- 
acter of Christ. Here is one of his own disciples, having 
the best opportunity of knowing his whole manner of life, 
a disciple, capable of the deepest villainy, tempted by lies 
to justify his own conduct, not only fails to throw the 
slightest shadow over the character of the person he had 
so cruelly avenged, but is compelled to publish in the 
strongest manner, the perfect innocence of Christ. The 
strongest testimony of friends, whose truthfulness could 
not be impeached, would have failed because of their 
friendship, but here an enemy, with every inducement to 
malign, is compelled to tell the truth, and by the return 
of the reward of his infamy condemn himself as the be- 
trayer of the innocent blood. Light breaks through the 
darkness revealing the wisdom of our Lord in subjecting 
himself, for so long a time, to the most intimate and un- 
scrupulous scrutiny of this base man, well knowing that 
he would find nothing in him that would spot his pure 
innocence or mar his exalted and matchless character. 
What greater proof can even an enemy demand of the 
purity, the innocence and the greatness of the divine 
Saviour? 

How very small, how pitifully small, are the pecu- 
niary wages of sin. It was for thirty pieces of silver that 
Judas sold the Saviour of the world. For thirty pieces 
he sold his own character and made it infamous through 
all the ages. For thirty pieces of silver he sold his peace 
of mind, and bought the condemnation of his conscience 
and ceaseless remorse. And ‘ 4 went and hanged himself 5 9 
“that he might go to his own place.” 



PETER’S FALL. 

Former Sins Revived. 


p. 635 


PETER’S FALL. 


FOEMEE SINS EEVIYED. 


The strongest traits of character, and the most cher- 
ished reliances are often the weakest when brought under 
the strain of temptation. The Bible, with truthful frank- 
ness and impartiality, illustrates this fact. With fidelity 
it states the fall and wicked conduct of good men. It 
never either glories in, or apologizes for such inconsisten- 
cies, but holds them up as warning beacons. It does not 
illustrate this by reference to the obscure, but by men 
eminent in their day for station and piety. It names 
Noah, Lot, Moses, David, Hezekiah and Elijah. It does 
not present them as falling when they were young, and 
their characters were in the formative state, but when they 
were well on in years, and had long stood firm in their 
obedience. Noah had walked uprightly for several hun- 
dred years, had met the scorn of the wicked, whilst build- 
ing the ark, yet he fell. Lot had long vexed his righteous 
soul, and was drawing near his end, when he, too, was 
overcome. The great sin of Moses’ life was committed 
when just about to enter the promised land. David, in 
the days of his youth and early manhood, was a pat- 
tern of faith and devotion. When well on in years he 
fell into the most fearful crimes. Hezekiah, when near 
the close of his useful life, fell into carnal pride and boast- 
ing. And Elijah, so resolute and courageous before four 


peter’s fall. 


537 


hundred and fifty priests of Baal, trembles and flees be- 
fore the threatenings of J ezebel. So far as the great tempt- 
er is concerned, it is easy to understand his motive. He 
well knew that the fall of one such would cause more mis- 
chief than the iniquities of many obscure persons. Hence 
he assails the most prominent, not sparing even our bless- 
ed Lord. 

Enigmatical as our opening statement may appear, it 
is still obvious why it should be so. The military com- 
mander, confident of the impregnable condition of his 
fortress, is not vigilant over its approaches. So the men, 
confident of the rectitude and firmness of their principles, 
the strength and honesty of their convictions, and the reso- 
luteness and determination of their wills, are less on their 
guard than men of weaker nerve fiber. Especially are 
such the more exposed, if they are proud of their dis- 
tinguishing characteristics, and are prone to glory in them. 
Left to themselves, in the fierce hour of trial, they find 
“ that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the 
strong.” — Ecc. 9 : 11. Then they learn how vain it is to 
“lean to their own understanding.” — Prov. 2 : 3. Then 
they may know how apposite, at all times and for all 
men, is the admonition : “Let not the wise man glory in 
his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might ; 
let not the rich man glory in his riches.” — Jer. 9 : 23. 

‘ ‘ Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed 
lest he fall.” — 1 Cor. 10 : 12. 

No case, perhaps, on Scripture record, illustrates more 
perfectly the weakness of all human strength of character 
than that of the Apostle Peter. 

His original name was Simon or Simeon. This was so 
common among the Jews, that to distinguish him, he was 
called Simon Bar Jona, that is, Simon, the son of Jonas, 
or J ona. He was a native of Bethsaida of Galilee. When 
the Lord called him to be a disciple, he said : “thou art 
Simon, the son of Jona, thou shalt be called Cephas.” — 


538 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


John 4: 42. A Syriac word, signifying a stone. Petra, 
translated Peter, was his Latin name, which also means 
a stone. This change from Simon Bar Jona, to Simon 
Peter, was indicative of his natural temperament. He 
was bold, fearless, energetic and courageous. These 
characteristics he eminently exemplified. When the 
wrath of the Scribes and Pharisees was greatly stirred 
against the Lord, and expulsion from the synagogue was 
threatened to those who should acknowledge Christ, he 
boldly avowed his faith in Jesus, as the promised Messiah, 
saying : 4 ‘thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 
— Matt. 16 : 16. He manifested his firmness and courage 
again, when to the question of Christ to the twelve, “ will 
ye also go away?” he answered him, “Lord, to whom 
shall we go % thou hast the words of eternal life ; and we 
believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of 
the living God.” — John 6: 67-69. Through his entire 
course, with one memorable exception, his fearlessness 
and simplicity, his faith and ardent love, his promptness 
and decision, and his unflinching courage, were his dis- 
tinctive characteristics, and among his fellow-disciples, 
these gave him prominence. 

It is with this exceptional case, with its sad but instruc- 
tive consequences, that we have now to do. “ Peter fol- 
lowed afar off ” — Mark 14 : 54 — is the short but impressive 
record of a strange, very strange fact. It is a statement 
so at variance with the natural temperament, the charac- 
teristic boldness and courage of Peter, that, on less perfect 
authority, we could hardly give it credence. Had the 
same record been made of Thomas, the doubter ; of John, 
the mild and beloved, or of the other apostles, it could 
have been more easily received. But when we read upon 
unerring authority, that Peter, when his Lord was seized, 
bound, and carried away by men intent upon his murder, 
“followed him afar off,” we know that such conduct 
was as remarkable as it was unusual. 


PETER* 8 FALL. 


539 


The conduct of Peter is the more strange when the 
immediate circumstances are considered. He had but a 
short time before been at the monumental memorial of 
the Lord’s death. From the hand of Christ he had re- 
ceived the bread, the symbol of his broken body ; and 
the cup, the symbol of his shed blood. With two other 
disciples, he had been honored with his Lord’s special 
confidence, when he took him into the dark shadows of 
G-ethsemane, where “he began to be sorrowful and very 
heavy,” and where he said : “my soul is exceeding sor- 
rowful, even unto death ; tarry ye here, and watch with 
me.” — Matt. 26: 37, 38. With the influence of these 
deeply solemn and impressive scenes, appealing as they 
did, to everything sympathetic, manly and courageous ; it 
would seem that his love for his Lord would strengthen 
and set his courage into a firmness altogether invincible. 
But just here, its utter weakness was made manifest. 
Sad, very sad indeed, is the testimony of history. The 
falls of good men have very often taken place immediate- 
ly after the reception of special mercies or manifestations. 
Noah had just come out of the ark ; he, with his family, 
the lone survivers of the deluge. He had seen the wrath 
of God manifested toward sin, when he fell. Lot had 
just witnessed the destruction of the cities on the plain, 
himself and family being delivered by a special messen- 
ger ; yet he speedily fell. Moses, who “was very meek 
above all men which were upon the face of the earth” — 
Numb. 12: 3 — and who, for forty years, was honored of 
God as the leader of his people, and was faithful, is for- 
bidden to enter the promised land. 4 4 Because ye believed 
me not, * * ye shall not bring this congregation into the 
land which I have given them.” — Numb. 20: 12. 44 And 

the Lord said unto Moses, get thee up into this Mount 
Abarim, and see the land, etc. And when thou hast 
seen it, thou also shall be gathered to thy people,, as 
Aaron, thy brother, was gathered ; for ye rebelled against 


540 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


my commandment.” — Numb. 27 : 12-14. So also it was 
with David, “the man after God’s own heart,” and who 
had served God with a perfect heart. Hezekiah and othey 
good men, grievously sinned immediately after special 
mercies. It must here be noticed, that whilst the fall of 
some good men are made manifest too their fellow-men, 
and are the occasions of sorrow to the pious, and of glad- 
ness and exultation to the evil, the fall of others is known 
only to God and themselves. It must further be noticed, 
that the fall of good men into sin, is radically different 
from the sinning of the ungodly. The fall of good men 
is exceptional, partial and temporary ; whilst that of the 
wicked is habitual, total and absolute. The fall of Peter 
was radically different from that of Judas ; both occur- 
ring about the same time, and both bearing directly upon 
Christ, the Lord. The good man, by his own act and 
desire, being in covenant, has gracious words of promised 
aid and rescuing. “ The steps of a good man are ordered 
by the Lord, and he delighteth in his way. Though he 
fall, he shall not be utterly cast down ; for the Lord up- 
holdeth him with his hand.” — Ps. 37: 23, 24. “For a 
just man falleth seven times and raiseth up again.” — Prov. 
24 : 16. No encouragement is given to negligence or pre- 
sumption. Upon all is the injunction binding and indis- 
pensable. “Wherefore, the rather brethren, give dili- 
gence to make your calling and election sure ; for if ye 
do these things, ye shall never fall.” — 2 Peter, 1 : 10. 
The unbelieving, impenitent wicked, have no such words 
of cheer. Of such it is written : “ the wicked shall fall 
into mischief.” — Prov. 24: 16. “The wicked shall fall 
by his own wickedness.” — Prov. 11 : 5. “Thou hast 
fallen by thine own iniquity.” — Hosea 14 : 1. 

So venomous and insinuating is sin, that no man, no 
matter what his previous eminence for piety may have 
been, is safe for a moment if left to himself. ‘ ‘ Wherefore 
let him that tliinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” 


peter’s fall 


541 


— 1 Cor. 10 : 12. Saints are only “kept by tke power of 
Grod through faith unto salvation.” — 1 Pet. 1 : 5. 

Why, it may be asked, was this strange and excep- 
tional fact of Peter recorded, when many other praise- 
worthy incidents in his life find no place in history ? Cer- 
tainly not for his permanent humiliation, as he was freely 
forgiven and restored long before the inspired page was 
written. Why then must it travel down through all 
time, and be known to all people, as a foul blot upon his 
otherwise good character ? It stands out boldly as a warn- 
ing to all, in all the ages, not to be too confident of their 
own strength to stand in the hour of temptation. 

This fact, his following afar off, was only an external 
action, but it was indicative of internal feelings, and tells 
of his then state of mind. The external act was but the 
carrying out that which had preceded it in the inward 
workings of his mind. If we can ascertain what that state 
of mind was, then we shall have the true cause of his sub- 
sequent acts and troubles. Thus shall we be admonished 
and know with certainty, that when we are in a similar 
state of mind, we are nearing danger. We may know 
that we have already entered the outer circle of the great 
maelstrom of temptation, from which, if we do not prompt- 
ly and resolutely escape, we shall be whirled on with ac- 
celerated speed to certain ruin. 

Happily we are not left to feel our way in the dark, nor 
to rest in any uncertainty. In the preceding record we 
have a clear statement of facts, which tells us of the state 
of mind in which Peter was when he fell before the tempt- 
ation, and followed his Lord afar off, and thrice denied 
that he knew him. 


SELF-CONFIDENT, SELF-SUFFICIENCY. 

The Lord gave his disciples distinct warning of the 
temptation to which they would be subjected by his seiz-. 


542 


BIBLE PEINCIPLES. 


ure and carrying away. “ Behold the honr cometh, yea, 
is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his 
own, and shall leave me alone. ’ ’ “ All ye shall be offend- 

ed because of me this night : for it is written, I will smite 
the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.” — Mark 
14 : 29-31. This statement, made in great seriousness, 
and by lips that never erred, should have filled their 
hearts with sadness, and made them humble and distrust- 
ful of themselves. Peter, who, on a former occasion, 
“took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, be it far 
from thee, Lord : this shall not be.” — Matt. 16 : 22. Now 
“ said unto him, although all shall be offended, yet will 
not I.” Peter was honest in this utterance, and strongly 
implied that he was both able and willing to defend him 
against all his enemies. Here was self-confidence, and 
self-sufficiency. It was offensive to his Lord, for he thus 
judged his brethren. He virtually said : it may be true 
of all these, but it cannot be true of me. 

He spake as he then felt and intended. He had no pur- 
pose nor desire to forsake Christ. But he knew not of 
what spirit he was. Having thus given prominence and 
individuality to himself ; Jesus singles him out, and tells 
him that he, more than any one, or all of the others, shall 
be offended. “And Jesus saith unto him, verily, I say 
unto thee, that this night before the cock crows twice, 
thou shalt deny me thrice.” — Mark 14 : 29-31. This em- 
phatic declaration was enough to have prostrated any or- 
dinary man, or to have crushed out his self-sufficiency 
and to have driven him to the Saviour’s feet, pleading, 
with intense earnestness, to be kept from this horrible 
crime. It would have humbled John or the other dis- 
ciples. But no ; the self-confidence of Peter rises brazen- 
faced. “He spake the more vehemently, if I should 
die with thee, I will not deny thee in any wise.” We 
dare not imagine, much less say, that Peter was hypo- 
critical, and only acting a part, when he thus positive- 


peter’s fall. 


543 


1 y declared his readiness to die rather than deny his 
Lord. Doubtless he was sincere, for he felt that he was 
sufficient for the trial, and was confident that he would 
be found faithful. Strange that he should continue so 
self-confident, when Christ had never told him anything 
that was not true, had never warned him of dangers that 
were not real. The pertinacity of Peter was unyielding. 
Twice had the Lord told him that he would deny him. 
Once in the milder and more general form “that all ye 
shall be offended because of me this night.” Peter de- 
nied that this could be true of him. Then personally 
and specifically he told him that he, Peter, that very 
night should deny him thrice. This, he the more vehe- 
mently affirmed could not possibly be. I am so sure of . 
my love for thee, and so confident am I of the sincerity ; 
and strength of my purpose, that I know that I would 
rather die than be offended because of thee, or in any- 
wise deny thee. Poor self-deceived Peter, thou knowest 
little of thine own heart, — 4 ‘Boast not thyself of to-morrow ; 
for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” — Prov. , 
27 : 1. “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan 
hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat : 
but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not : and 
when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” — 
Luke 22 : 31, 32. 


WANT OP SYMPATHY. 

A self-confident spirit is necessarily unfeeling. It has 
no experience of weakness or dependence and therefore 
knows not how to sympathize with those of a less firm 
nerve. That Peter lacked sympathy for the then suffer- 
ing condition of his Lord is clear from the record. “And 
they came to a place which was named Gethsemane : and 
he saith to his disciples, sit ye here, while I shall pray. 


544 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


And he taketh with him Peter, and J ames, and J ohn, and 
began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy ; and saith 
nnto them, my soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death, 
tarry ye here and watch.” — Mark 14 : 32-34. The pe- 
culiarly strange and altered appearance of the Lord must 
have impressed them that his soul was then in mighty 
conflict. He “ was sore amazed, very heavy, — exceeding 
sorrowful.” This was a touching appeal to their deepest, 
warmest sympathy. He meant this when he said 4 4 tarry 
ye here and watch.” O what power there is in honest 
sympathy ! True, it cannot remove the trouble, yet 
trouble without sympathy is doubly crushing. When 
sorrows, heavier than the pall of death, come surging like 
mighty waves, then to be left all alone, with no wakeful, 
watchful eye, without one kind, soothing word, without 
one kind look, — without one warm tear or mingling sigh : 
O this is terrible ! worse, greatly worse, than death in its 
most fearful form. Christ had entered upon his sorrows : 
the vicarious sufferings predicted by the prophet. 4 4 Strick- 
en, smitten of God, and atflicted.” He 4 4 bore our griefs 
and carried our sorrows, was wounded for our transgres- 
sions, was bruised for our iniquities, and the chastisement 
of our peace was upon him” — 4 4 it pleased the Lord to 
bruise him — to put him to grief, his soul was an offering for 
sin.” — Isa. 53. His sorrows! such as none had ever ex- 
perienced. His humanity needed sympathy. This he 
asked when he said 4 4 tarry ye here and watch.” 44 And 
he went forward a little and fell on the ground.” In the 
deep, heavy pressure of his sorrows he 4 4 prayed that, if it 
were possible, the hour might pass from him.” He came 
to those of whom he had asked sympathy, 44 and he find- 
eth them sleeping.” Disappointed, with tones of sad- 
ness, 44 he saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepeth thou ? Could- 
est not thou watch one hour?” Simon, thou who wast 
just now so bold and positive, hast thou so soon forgotten 
me and ceased thy vigilance ? He had bade him watch. 


peter’s fall. 


545 


N o w he adds prayer to vigilance. 4 4 W atch ye and pray, 
lest ye enter into temptation.” We may watch most 
vigilantly, but if we do not also pray, feeling our need of 
strength greater than our own, the devil will get in. We 
may pray most devoutly, yet if we do not also watch, the 
devil will get in. But if we faithfully both watch and 
pray, the devil cannot get in. It is like 4 4 the flaming 
sword” in the hand of the cherubim, 4 4 which turned 
every way. If the devil comes on the right hand it cuts 
him down there : if he comes on the left hand it cuts him 
down there : if he comes in the front it smites him there : 
if he comes sneaking up behind, with a double whirl, 
its keen edge smites him down there. It turneth every 
way. 44 Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptaion.” 

As the sorrows and sufferings were not ended, 4 4 he 
went away and prayed, and spake the same words.” 
44 When he returned, he found them asleep again, for 
their eyes were heavy.” Luke says, 4 4 he found them 
sleeping for sorrow.” — Luke 22 : 45. It was not utter 
abandonment of the Lord ; it was not the sweet refresh- 
ing sleep of laboring men. It was the sleep of exhaus- 
tion, caused by sorrow. The Lord had said : 44 the spirit 
truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” To his look of 
sorrowful, sad disappointment, though he spake not a 
word of complaint,— 44 neither wist they what to answer.” 
They had no excuse to offer. It was not late at night. 
They had just come from the passover and the Lord’s 
supper ; it was before the armed bands came, led on by 
Judas ; it was the early part of the evening, and not the 
usual time for men to sleep. The mother whose child is 
seriously ill, and whose soul is in lively sympathy with 
the sufferer, sleeps not through the long, weary hours of 
the night. The sister who watches at the couch of her 
dying brother, sleeps not through all the night, her lov- 
ing sympathy will hold her wakeful. Ah Peter, Peter, 
it was want of sympathy with the deep sorrows of your 


546 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Lord, that made your eyes heavy. Live sympathy would 
have driven all sleep from your eyes, even though thou 
hadst been on the watch all night. 

A third time he left them, leaving the injunction to 
‘ ‘ watch and pray. ’ ’ “ And being in an agony, he prayed 

the more earnestly ; and his sweat was as it were great 
drops of blood falling down to the ground. ’ ’ That prayer 
was : “O, my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass 
from me.” “ Prayed that if it were possible, the hour 
might pass from him.” That prayer was heard and 
promptly answered. Though his “soul was exceeding 
sorrowful unto death,” he did not die then and there. 
Though those unutterable upheavings of his soul, and 
those mental blood-agonies crushed his humanity, he was 
not left to die there, for Calvary was yet to be reached, 
where, and only where, he could say, the atoning work 
is finished. He prayed to his Father, “and there ap- 
peared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening 
him.” Subsequent Scripture affirms the prompt answer, 
“who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up 
prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears, 
unto him who was able to save him from death, and was 
heard in that he feared.” — Heb. 5 : 7. 

“And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, 
sleep on now, and take your rest ; it is enough.” Why 
enough ? He had successfully passed through that hour 
of his amazing suffering. He needed not their sympathy, 
now that an angel had supplied their lack. Their hour 
had passed, and Peter had lost his opportunity. Why 
enough? New and stirring scenes awaited them. The 
time for action had come. “It is enough; the hour is 
come ; behold, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands 
of sinners. Rise up, let us go ; lo, he that betrayeth me 
is at hand.” A self-confident heart is an unfeeling heart. 
It cannot have sympathy for others, over-borne by their 
troubles. 


Peter’s eall. 


547 


NO MORAL COURAGE. 

There is a clear distinction between animal and moral 
courage. There are men who, with unflinching nerve, 
can crowd their way, through terrible carnage, up to the 
cannon’s month ; but who cannot stand up for, and advo- 
cate what they know to be right, when it is unpopular, 
and when wealth, fashion and power are arrayed against 
it. When the trial came, Peter illustrated this difference 
and demonstrated his weakness. 4 4 Immediately while he 
yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him 
a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief 
priests, and the scribes and the elders.” “Then Simon 
Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s 
servant, and cut off his right ear.” — John 18 : 10. In this 
act of impetuous rashness he manifested his readiness to 
defend his Lord. He was not afraid of death, and in this 
was not deficient in animal courage, which the world calls 
bravery. Some question as to the degree of this bravery 
arises from the fact that he struck, not at the armed soldiers, 
but at the probably unarmed servant of the high priest. 
It may be that this servant was officiously prominent, and 
was foremost to lay his hands on Christ. Peter was as 
prompt in the defense. But when they took Jesus and 
bound him, 4 4 and led him away to Caiaphas, ’ ’ then 4 4 Peter 
followed afar off then he manifested his lack of moral 
courage. Then he did not rush up close to his Lord, — 
then he did not protest against this seizure of an innocent 
person. He did not boldly avow himself as his disciple, 
saying, I know him well and intimately. He is true and 
good, there is no fault in him, if you take him you must 
take me also. Alas, Ho. He was silent. He followed 
them as they bore away his Lord ; not close up that he 
might cheer and comfort him, but 4 4 afar off.” Yet not 
so far off as to lose sight of the receding torches, but far 


548 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


enough to be out of danger, far enough to escape identi- 
fication, as one of his disciples. Sad evidence of weak- 
ness, of the want of moral force, when his Lord was 
bound and led away to judgment and to death. 

Such were the causes which led Peter to his desertion 
of his Lord. He was self-confident and self-sufficient. 
He lacked sympathy and had no moral courage. No 
wonder that he vacilated. On they went, and on he fol- 
lowed, “afar off.” They left the garden and crossed the 
Cedron — on he followed, no nearer. They enter the city, 
Peter enters at the same gate. They tarry a while at the 
house of Annas, and when the day light came they bring 
Jesus to Caiaphas. Peter followed, and there the sad con- 
sequences speedily overwhelmed him. 


FORMER SINS REYIYED. 

It is pertinent just here, in justice to Peter and to the 
truth of his story, to inquire where were the other dis- 
ciples? Christ had said, “all ye shall be offended be- 
cause of me this night.” It is also written that when the 
Lord was seized and bound by the soldiers, “then all the 
disciples forsook him and fled.” Peter it seems, though 
“afar off,” was nearer to Christ at this trying moment, 
than were the rest, save only John the beloved disciple, 
for of him it is stated. “And Simon Peter followed Je- 
sus, and so did another disciple : that disciple was known 
unto the high priest, and went in with Jesus to the palace 
of the high priest. But Peter stood at the door without. 
Then went out that other disciple, which was known un- 
to the high priest, and spake unto her that kept the door 
and brought in Peter.” — John 18 : 15-17. Here the two 
disciples separate. Peter remains in the outer hall, or 
court, where there was a fire burning, at which he warm- 
ed himself. John went further into the palace where Je- 


Peter’s pall. 


549 


sus stood arraigned. This is evident from the fact that 
John (18 : 19-23) details the private examination of Jesns 
which is not recorded in the other gospels and which was 
only known to him personally. Though “afar off,” the 
attractive power of Christ over Peter was not broken. It 
held him and drew him on till he stood within the palace 
of the high priest, whither they had hurried his Lord. 
John, less impulsive, more calm, yet more determined, 
was drawn closer to his Lord, and stood very nigh him 
in this terrible hour when the powers of darkness were 
triumphing. 


FIEST DENIAL. 

All the evangelists record the fall of Peter. Whilst 
varying in some of the shadings, they agree perfectly in 
the substantial facts. Perhaps the most intense account 
is that of Mark. “John, surnamed Mark.” — Acts 12 : 
12, 20. This Mark was the disciple of Peter. “ Marcus, 
my son.” — 1 Pet. 5 : 13. The gospel of Mark, if not 
written under the eye of Peter, was supervised by him. 
In it we have the three denials, with all their aggrava- 
tions, and a clearer insight into the inward workings of 
his sorrowing mind. 

“And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh 
one of the maids of the high priest. And when she saw 
Peter warming himself, she looked upon him and said, 
and thou also was with Jesus of Nazareth. But he de- 
nied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou 
sayest.” Strange language this. Not a positive denial 
that he was a disciple ; though the spirit of denial was 
there. His language is cautious and evasive. “ I know 
not, neither understand I what thou sayest.” It was not 
that he trembled before the charge of a lone, unarmed 
woman. Matthew (26 : 70) says, “he denied before them 


550 


PETEK’S FALL. 


all.” “The servants and officers stood there,” deeply- 
excited, and perhaps menacing in their attitude. 

Was this the first lie that Peter ever uttered \ I think 
not. Before his conversion, he had fallen into the habit 
of falsifying the truth. I do not think strange of that. 
He was a fisherman, and may have acquired this bad 
habit in setting forth the condition and value of his fish ; 
or, in exaggerating the great hauls he made, or his peril- 
ous adventures upon the lake.- It is no uncommon thing, 
even now in Christian lands, for men in trade to depart 
from the truth, in order to sell their wares. By adultera- 
tions, by misleading statements and other devices in trade, 
men constantly lie. Such is the selfishness of the human 
heart, that David said: “all men are liars.”— Ps. 116: 
11. When Peter was converted, he repented of this sin- 
ful habit, and broke it off. But now in his self-sufficient 
and unsympathizing state of mind, being left to himself, 
he has no moral courage. He falls into his former Habit 
of sinning, and denies that he understood what the maid 
was talking about. It is not strange, that under the cir- 
cumstances, the presence of the maid, and of those who 
were with her, was uncomfortable to him. It is not 
strange that his troubled mind and accusing conscience 
impelled him to leave the place. “And he went out into 
the porch.” Immediately “the cock crew.” This was 
the midnight crowing of the cock. Strange, very strange, 
that this did not recall the warning words of his Lord. 
“ Verily I say unto thee, that this day, even in this night, 
before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.” 
But it did not. It may be that he did not consider his 
cautious, evasive language a denial, only an act of pre- 
varication. It may be that his mind was absorbed, nay, 
bewildered, if not stupefied, that he took no heed of pass- 
ing events, and heard not the crowing of the cock. He 
should have heard it. It should have warned him, and 
driven him to his knees in earnest, intense, penitent sup- 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


551 


plications for pardon, and for grace to keep liim from 
further sinning. 


SECOND DENIAL. 

Poor, miserable Peter, vacilating and bewildered, his 
mind, like the wave of the sea, was tossed and driven as 
by a fierce wind. “He went out into the porch,” but 
found no rest there. 

“ The climate, and not the heart he changed, 

Who flies across the wave.’' 

There a maid, not the same to whom he gave the eva- 
sive reply, but another. Matthew (26: 71) says, “and 
when he was gone out into the porch another maid saw 
him.” This maid spake not to Peter, but to the persons 
who were present, and “began to say to them that stood 
by, this is one of them. ’ ’ Or, as Matthew records it : “ this 
fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.” His troubled 
conscience made his ear quick to hear what this maid said. 
His restless eye was keen to scrutinize the darkening 
countenances of the men. To ward off their suspicions, 
“ he denied it again.” Here is progress. First he pre- 
varicated, “ I know not, neither understand I what thou 
sayest.” Now he denies that he “is one of them.” 
Where there is not prompt repentance, sin holds the 
mastery, and involves the sinner in deeper guilt. 


THIRD DENIAL. 

“ The way of transgressors is hard.” Until the heart 
is broken and humbled into penitent confession, and re- 
nunciation of sin, there is mo escaping its progressive 
power. “A little after, they that stood by said again to 


552 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Peter, surely thou art one of them : for thou art a Gali- 
lean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.” His denial, when 
the maid spake of him to them, did not satisfy them, did 
not carry conviction to their minds of the truth of his as- 
sertion. There was something perhaps in his manner, his 
hesitancy, his averted eye, his pallid face, his trembling 
nerves, which awakened and deepened suspicion. They 
now confront him, “ surely thou art one of them.” They 
state as evidence his provincial dialect. Thus pressed he 
became desperate. “He began to curse and to swear, 
saying, I know not the man of whom ye speak.” This 
was clear and positive. There is no evasion, — no denial 
of discipleship, but an unwavering denial that he knew 
Jesus of Nazareth, the man of whom they spake. Not 
only denying in plain words that he even knew Jesus, 
but he backed it up with an oath, — by cursing and swear- 
ing. 

W as this the first oath that Peter ever uttered ? I think 
not. When he was an unconverted fisherman he got into 
the habit of profane swearing. I cannot understand why 
men following the water so generally become profane. 
Doubtless, Peter, while doing business upon the lake, 
learned to swear. Some men now, nay, I may say, many 
men now, who go down to the sea in ships swear terrible 
oaths. I am pained to add that many landsmen and men 
calling themselves gentlemen, dreadfully and frequently 
take the name of God in vain. If they think that swear- 
ing makes them gentlemen, then a great, big and foul oath 
must make a great, big gentleman. Nay, according to 
this logic the most degraded and foul-mouth swearer, who 
wallows in the mire of depravity, is the most finished 
gentleman. Peter doubtless thought that his cursing and 
swearing would carry conviction of the truth of his denial. 
There are those now who imagine that it makes their 
statement stronger to back it up with an oath. The sim- 
ple truth is the strongest possible statement. It never 


Peter’s fall. 


553 


needs an oath to help it. Hence the man who is conscious 
that he is telling the simple truth, knows that no oath 
can make it more certainly the truth. But when a man 
makes a statement which he knows to be false, in whole 
or in part, he feels the need of an oath. When such a 
person sees in your eye or countenance, the lingerings 
of doubt, and he begins to swear that his statement is all 
true. Put that man down as swearing to a lie. It was 
so with Peter. He knew that his denial, “I know not 
this man,” was false. He saw that those who charged 
him doubted his words. Then to push them through 
“he began to curse and swear.” When he was convert- 
ed he broke off this bad habit. But now, when he “fol- 
lowed afar off” he fell into his old habit of sinning. He 
again cursed and swore. 

“ He changed the place, but not the pain.” 

Ho sooner had he, in this terrible way, a third time de- 
nied Christ, than the warning words of his Lord were ful- 
filled. “And the second time the cock crew.” This 
was the day-break crowing. It measured the time in 
which these three denials took place. It was between the 
midnight hour and the dawn of the new day. Time enough 
to sin — to sin dreadfully — to sin perseveringly. 


THE LOOK 

Though it is not specifically stated, I think it evident 
from a collating of the incidents, that when Peter moved 
from the place where the maid first accosted him, he came 
to a position where he could be seen by Christ. It is writ- 
ten, “And the Lord turned and looked upon Peter.” — 
Luke 22 : 61. This look, perhaps more than the crowing 
of the cock, brought this truant disciple to a sense of his 
guilt. “And Peter called to mind -the word that Jesus 

24 


554 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


said unto him, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt 
deny me thrice.” Not a word did Jesns litter, not a ges- 
ture did he make. He simply turned and looked upon 
Peter. It was neither reproachful nor fierce with anger ; 
it was searching and sorrowful, the tenderness of wounded 
love was in it, — it pierced the heart of Peter. O, what a 
moment of terrific agony was this ! What memories, with 
lightning speed, rush through his mind. What shame, 
and condemnation and despair, deep, awful, and full of 
gloom, roll over his guilty soul. 4 4 He went out and wept 
bitterly.” So thoroughly had the baseness of his denial 
possessed his soul that, 4 4 when he thought thereon he 
wept.” With David, 44 his bones waxed old through his 
roaring all the day long, his moisture was turned into the 
drought of summer.” — Ps. 32 : 3, 4. 


DESPAIR. 

A very obvious result of Peter’s course was that he lost 
all present evidence of being a disciple. How could he 
have any evidence after what he had said and done ? 
4 4 When he thought thereon he wept. ’ ’ The original word 
intimates that he wept abundantly. The other evangelists 
say, 4 4 he wept bitterly.” 

Intense emotion wrought fearfully. 4 4 When he thought 
thereon he wept,” carries us into his inner man, and 
makes known to us the agonies that convulsed him, the 
terrific upheavings of his heavily burdened soul. I seem 
to see this rugged, bold, fearless man, crushed in sorrow, 
his head bowed upon his breast, and the tears rolling down 
his weather-beaten cheeks, walking sadly in lonely places. 
Talking to himself, I hear him, in tones of deep condem- 
nation, saying, what evidence have I that I am his disci- 
ple ? Think how I have acted. I have been self-confident, 
and would not be warned of my sin. I have been unsym- 


peter’s fall. 


555 


pathizing when my Lord was in such nnntterable sorrows. 
I have been a mean coward, afraid to own him before his 
enemies. I have denied him, not once only, but thrice, 
and that, too, with oaths and curses. I have fallen back 
into my old habits of sinning. O, dear ! what shall I do ? 
where shall I go ? I dare not go to him, for I have denied 
him with cursings and swearings. I am no longer his 
disciple. He will not acknowledge me. I am wretched, 
miserably wretched. Then he wept, wept abundantly, 
4 4 wept bitterly. ’ ’ Poor Peter ! how sad is your condition. 
Despair deeply carved upon every feature, and wrung out 
in every tone he uttered. Just here John, the beloved 
disciple, meets him. Amazed at his forlorn wretchedness, 
he, with the tenderest sympathy, asks, why so sad, brother 
Peter % What is the matter, that you thus weep, and art 
heart-broken ? Matter enough. I am a wretch, a miser- 
ably wicked and cowardly wretch. Do not call me broth- 
er. I am no longer his disciple. I have thrice denied 
my Lord. I have denied him with cursing and swearing. 
I tell you I am not his disciple. I am given over to the 
dominion of my former sins. There is no more hope for 
me. Do not despair, my brother, the Lord is merciful. 
He will forgive, if you are sorry for your sin. Remem- 
ber how he said, “ Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to 
have you, that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed 
for thee, that thy faith fail not.” — Luke 22 : 31, 32. He 
has not given you up. His prayer will prevail. Go to 
him, tell him of your sin, and your repentance, and your 
confidence in his unchangeable love, and he will pardon 
and forgive. But Peter only wrote bitter things against 
himself. Think, thou loving one, what I have done, how 
vain, how boastful and unsympathizing I have been. 
Think how I followed afar off, when they bound and car- 
ried him away, think how I meanly and with craven spirit 
denied him perseveringly with cursing and swearing. 1ST o, 
no, I cannot, after all this baseness and sinning, hope for 


556 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


his forgivness ; there is nothing left for me but weeping 
and despair. He saw nothing in the past that could com- 
fort him. All within was dark and gloomy, and despair- 
ing. O, what fearful dangers crowd around the disciple 
who is far from Christ. It is the devil’ s choicest oppor- 
tunity. 


NOT AN APOSTATE. 

Though Peter had denied his Lord basely, and with 
aggravations, still he did not abandon him, and go over 
to his enemies, who were rushing him, by a mock trial, 
on to crucifixion. Though under a heavy cloud, and 
bitterly condemning himself, he was a different man from 
Judas. He was governed by radically different motives. 
Judas followed and loved Christ only as he judged his 
worldly interests would be advanced. When this hope 
failed, he basely sold and betrayed him to his enemies. 
Peter loved his Lord sincerely, and followed him, not 
for worldly advantage. Peter, though sad and heavy- 
hearted, and dreading to meet his Lord, whose sorrowful 
look so keenly pierced his heart, still held fast by the 
disciples, and sympathized with them in their sorrows 
and disappointments, keenly alive to every testimony 
borne to them of their crucified and buried Lord. When 
Mary Magdalene, with the other women, went early on the 
first day of the week, to the sepulchre, to complete the em- 
balmment of the body, and found the stone rolled away, 
and the tomb empty, she runneth, and cometh to the city, 
and told Peter and John of this strange fact. Peter and 
J olin ran to the tomb. They ran together, but J ohn 6 6 out- 
ran Peter, and came first to the sepulchre, and stooping 
down and looking in, and saw the linen clothes lying ; 
yet went he not in.” Then cometh Simon Peter follow- 
ing him.” Impetuous and bold, with more than curiosi- 


Peter’s fall. 


557 


t y, with love stirring every nerve, “he went into the 
sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie.”— John 20 : 
1 - 6 . •' 

Judas went and hanged himself. Peter went to the 
sepulchre to look after his absent Lord. The fall of Ju- 
das was total and absolute. The fall of Peter was partial 
and temporary. Judas, crushed by remorse, died the 
death of a traitor, and went to his own place. Peter, 
weeping and sorrowful, went to the disciples, went to 
Christ, and was forgiven. 


COMPASSION OF CHRIST. 

The Lord might have left Peter to reap the fruit of his 
own sowing and to die in utter hopelessness. But for 
the special kindness of Christ, Peter never would have 
returned. Christ loved Peter with an unchanging love, 
nothwithstanding his cruel desertion and thrice denial of 
him. He had thoughts of love and mercy. Perfectly 
understanding the workings of Peter’ s heart, knowing the 
obstacle which shut out hope and which would keep him 
away, he sent a special message by the angel who thus 
spake to the women: “ Go your way, tell his disciples 
and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee : there 
shall ye see him.” — Mark 16 : 7. Immediately they has- 
tened back to the disciples and “told it unto the eleven.” 
I see Peter waking up from his despondency, and with 
intense emotion, I hear him inquire, did he say and Peter ? 
Yes, is their response. With more impassioned empha- 
sis he again asked, did he say and Peter? Yes, was the 
assured reply. Why did Christ say “and Peter?” It 
was a love message. He knew that Peter would not come 
without it. Had the message been, tell my disciples to 
meet me in Galilee, in the despairing state of mind in 
which Peter was, he would not have gone. Writing bit- 


558 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


ter things against himself, he would have said, I am not 
a disciple, I am not invited, I cannot, dare not go. But 
when he heard from the women that Christ had by name 
invited him, then light glimmered through the darkness ; 
then hope trembled into being — then lifting up his bowed 
head, his eyes full of tears of grateful love, he said, with 
a joy that thrilled along his every nerve. I will go. I 
will go. The message was very guarded, and gave no 
intimation that he was a recognized disciple. “Tell my 
disciples and Peter.” This shut him out from disciple- 
ship, but it invited him to come. He saw and felt that 
there was love in this invitation. Love begat love. The 
love of Christ warmed up the cold, cheerless heart of Peter. 
It removed all the difficulties and made the way of return 
easy. 0, my loving Saviour, I will go to you. 


THE MEETING IN GALILEE. 

This meeting was preceded by a cheerful meal. 4 4 J esus 
saith unto them come and dine.” ‘ 4 Jesus then taketh 
bread and giveth them, and fish likewise.” As, at the 
two previous meetings in Jerusalem, so during this re- 
past, the Saviour did naught, either by word or look, to 
remind Peter of his denial of him. So Peter may have 
thought that his Lord had either forgotten it, amid his 
greater troubles, or generously forbore to open again the 
sorrows of his penitent heart. But Christ had neither 
forgotten nor done with the thrice denial of Peter. “ So 
when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon : Simon, son 
of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these ?” Strange lan- 
guage this, 44 Simon, son of Jonas.” Peter might well ask 
himself what does it mean ? This was my name before I 
was called to be his disciple. When he called me he chang- 
ed it to Simon Peter. By that name he has always, until 
now, known me. Now he says, 44 Simon, son of Jonas.” 


Peter’s fall. 


559 


Does lie disown me as Ms disciple, and put me back 
where I was ? Alas, how are all my hopes dashed. 

“ Lovest thon me more than these?” Simon, do you 
not remember when I said, “all of ye shall be offended 
because of me,” that you disparaged the love and fideli- 
ty of your brethren, saying, “though all men shall be 
offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.” 
You were then self-confident, youthen thought you loved 
me more than they, you then felt that you would die for 
me. What thinkest thou now, in review of the past? 
Ah, Simon, son of Jonas, thou didst not know thyself. 
What sayest thou now ? These, though they were offend- 
ed because of me — these, though they departed, yet not 
one of them denied me, even once. What sayest thou for 
thyself? All that Peter, now humbled under these 
searching inquiries, could say, was the simple affirmation 
of his love, appealing to no acts of his own, but to the 
perfect knowledge of his Lord, “he saith unto him, yea, 
Lord ; thou knowest that I love thee.” A partial com- 
mission, “feed my lambs,” revived his hope. 

Peter’s strong nature gave him strong propensities. 
Their exuberant out-growth must be pruned. “He saith 
to him again, the second time, “Simon, son of Jonas, 
lovest thou me?” Though trusted to feed the lambs, it 
is still the old name, “ Simon, son of Jonas.” This time 
the question is, “lovest thou me?” This speaks of no 
comparative love. That was already settled to Peter’s 
shame and humiliation. This simply asks, dost thou love 
me at all ? Peter again makes no appeal to his outward 
acts, not even to his coming to Galilee, in response to the 
invitation, but throwing himself upon the unerring knowl- 
edge of his Lord, “ saith unto him, yea, Lord ; thou know- 
est that I love thee.” Then further trustful confidence 
is expressed, “ feed my sheep.” 

Jesus intended to root up all Simon’s self-confidence 
and self-sufficiency, thus placing himself foremost to the 


560 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


disparaging of others, and by a thoroughly searching, 
annihilating process, he designed to make a new and bet- 
ter man of him, and more meet for the Master’ s service. 
Therefore, “ he said unto him the third time, Simon, son 
of Jonas, lovest thou me ?” In the same old name, “ son 
of Jonas,” the same question, “ lovest thou me?” Peter 
was grieved because he said unto him the third time, 
‘ ‘ lovest thou me ?” This thrice repeated question might 
well grieve him ; not grieved at Christ, I trust, but grieved 
at his own conduct, for it painfully reminded him of his 
thrice denial of his Lord, and well might it stir up the 
intensest grief. This keen probing of his heart, with 
the continued “ Simon, son of Jonas,” ringing in his 
ears, may have given intenser bitterness to his grief, as 
it seemingly implied a doubt as to the sincerity of his 
professed love to Christ. Now he does not repel the 
doubt with cursing and swearing, but, recognizing the 
divinity of his Lord, he appeals to his omniscience, “and 
said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things ; thou know- 
estthatl love thee.” Then came reiterated, trustful con- 
fidence, “feed my sheep.” 

All that Christ wanted in his disciple was simple, hon- 
est, true-hearted love. Not that he loved him either more 
than all the disciples, or more than this or that disciple, 
but that he loved at all. The moment he brought Simon 
to this simple confession, that he loved Jesus, and was 
willing to be in that state, without any comparison as to 
whether his love was greater than others, then Jesus re- 
stored to him his name Simon Peter, and to his office, as 
his Apostle, and sent him forth on the grandest of all 
commissions, to proclaim salvation in Christ’ s name, to a 
lost and ruined world, “beginning at Jerusalem.” 

SIMON, SON OF JONAS. 

This was his name before he was converted. It came 


Peter’s fall. 


561 


back to him because of his denial of Christ. That act 
made him a back-slider, and the Lord addresses him, as 
though he was still unconverted. The back-slider acts so 
much like an unconverted man, that the Scriptures speak 
of him as unconverted. Neither the church, nor the world, 
can discriminate him from the unconverted. Therefore, 
the Saviour put this elementary question to Peter “lovest 
thou me?” Discrimination must here be made between 
regeneration by the Holy Spirit, which is but once and 
permanent ; and conversion which is the turning away 
from any wrong course, to that which is right. Hence to 
all back- sliders the language is, “ Remember, therefore, 
from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first 
works.” — Rev. 2 : 5. The return from back-sliding is 
like a first conversion. It is the doing over again the 
first works of shame, self-condemnation, repentance, and 
coming to Christ for pardon. Of Peter, the loving Sav- 
iour said, “ I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not, 
when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” 

There is very great difficulty in restoring back-sliders, 
such as have openly denied the Lord, they have professed 
to love, to serve with entire consecration, and have gone 
back to the world for their pleasures. They have broken 
through all the restraints of religion, they have fallen 
back into their former habits of sinning. Now pride, 
like a chain, compasseth them. Now fear, like a manacle, 
binds them. Now the love of the world, like a mighty 
magnet, draws and holds them. Thus, by these three- 
fold influences, Satan controls them. Nothing but the 
grace, the wonderful grace of God, can gain the victory 
over these powers, and bring them back. Nor does it 
ever do it save by the way of sorrowful penitence and 
deep humility. 

The back-slider knows not, he cannot know, whether 
the twilight darkness in which he is, is the twilight of the 
morning which leadeth on to the perfect day ; or the 


562 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


twilight of the evening, which leadeth on to perfect and 
eternal midnight. No one can possibly tell where his 
retrograde progress shall end, when he takes the first 
backward step, He has entered npon an incline, where 
every moment his progress is accelerated. Had not the 
wonderful love and grace of Jesus interposed, where could 
Peter have stopped. He had already made rapid progress. 
From following afar off, to denials more and more posi- 
tive, with cursing and swearing. With the stinging 
memory of all he had done ; with the bitter reproaches of 
his conscience ; with the tormenting insinuations of the 
devil, and with the scowlings and sneers of the enemies 
of Christ, what could Peter have done ? Where could 
he have stopped, short of perdition, had not the blessed 
Lord arrested his sinful career and saved him % Peter 
wept, wept bitterly. It was not tears that saved him. It 
was grace, pure, sovereign grace. Unless grace, unmerit- 
ed and wonderful, arrests and works penitence in the 
heart of the back-slider, he will not stop short of perdi- 
tion. 

“ Create in me a clean heart, O, God ; and renew a right 
spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence ; 
and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.” 

u Nearer, my God, to thee, 

Nearer to thee ! 

E’en though it be a cross 
That raiseth me ; 

Still all my song shall be — 

Nearer, my God, to thee ! 

Nearer to thee !” 



HIGH PRIESTS. 

Murderers of Jesus. 


p. 663 


HIGH PRIESTS. 


MURDERERS OF JESUS. 


ANNAS. 

Ques. Annas, you are charged as one of the murder- 
ers of Jesus. What have you to say % 

Ans. Not guilty. 

Ques. Were you high priest when Jesus was crucified ? 

Ans. No. I was sole high priest for seven years, being 
appointed by Quirinus, pro-consul of Syria. I was re- 
moved by Valerius Gratus. 

Ques. Who succeeded you ? 

Ans. Ismael, son of Phabe. He was succeeded by my 
son Eleazar. After one year, Simon, son of Camithus ; 
then, after one year, my son-in-law, Joseph Caiaphas, 
became high priest, and held that office when the cruci- 
fixion took place. 

Ques. W ere you wholly separated from the office ? 

Ans. No, when Caiaphas was inducted, I held ’ the 
office of Sagan, or substitute. As such, I was president 
of the Sanhedrim. I was always called high priest. 

Ques. Were the appointments of high priests made 
in accordance with the Livitical law % 

Ans. No. When our nation became subject to the 
Romans, the appointments were made by the political 
powers. 

Ques. Were you personally acquainted with Jesus of 
Nazareth \ 


p. 664 


HIGH PRIESTS. 


565 


Ans. I knew him to be the son of Joseph and Mary, 
persons of hnmble station in life. 

Ques. Were you friendly to him % 

Ans. hTo, I was not ; as I regarded him as an imposter, 
claiming to be the Son of God, the promised Messiah, a 
blasphemer, and condemned by our law. 



HIGH PRIEST. 


Ques. Did you, with the Pharisees and Herodians, 
ever hold consultations, as to how you might take him 
and destroy him ? 

Ans. Yes, we had frequent consultations for that end. 
Ques. Why did you desire his death % 

Ans. Because, as already stated, we regarded him as 


566 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


an imposter, and a blasphemer, and worthy of death by 
onr law. 

Ques. Did yon ever try to bring him to an open trial % 

Ans. Yes ; but without success. 

Ques. Why were you unsuccessful ? 

Ans. For various reasons. Sometimes he could not 
be found, as he made frequent and sudden journeys from 
Jerusalem. When found, he strangely so influenced the 
officers sent to arrest him, that they could not seize him. 
Again, the people were so infatuated in his favor, that 
we were afraid to proceed. 

Ques. Did either Jesus or his disciples resist you by 
violence % 

Ans. No, never. 

Ques. How then did you finally arrest him ? 

Ans. One of his disciples came to us, and offered to 
deliver him into our hands, for thirty pieces of silver. 

Ques. Did you make a bargain with him ? 

Ans. We did, and he faithfully executed it. 

Ques. Where, and when was the arrest made ? 

Ans. It was in the garden of Gethsemane, and at night, 
we taking a band of armed men with us. 

Ques. Where did you convey him$ 

Ans. He was carried to my residence. 

Ques. Why was he carried there ? 

Ans. As it was midnight, and as no regular trial could, 
according to our law, be had at that hour, he was taken 
there for safe keeping. 

Ques. What took place at your residence ? 

Ans. I availed myself of the opportunity to ‘ ‘ ask Jesus 
of his disciples and of his doctrines.” 

Ques. What reply did Jesus make ? 

Ans. He said, “I spake openly to the world ; I ever 
taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the 
Jews always resort ; and in secret have I said nothing. 
Why asketh thou me ? Ask them which heard me what 
I have said.” 


HIGH PKIESTS. 


567 


Ques. Was this reply satisfactory ? 

Ans. No, I regarded it as evasive and disrespectful. 
So all present felt. “ One of the officers which stood by 
struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, answereth 
thou the high priest so V’ 

Ques. Did you reprove this personal assault ? 

Ans. No. I thought he deserved it. 

Ques. Did Jesus make any reply ? 

Ans. Yes. He said, “ If I have spoken evil, bear wit- 
ness of the evil, but if well, why smiteth thou me f ’ 

Ques. What took place next ? 

Ans. Daylight having come, he was carried to the 
council. 


CAIAPHAS. 

“ As soon as it was day, the elders of the people, and 
the chief priests, and the scribes came together, and led 
him into their council.’ ’ This was the great council or 
Sanhedrim, composed of chief priests, the heads of the 
twenty-four classes, into which the priests were divided ; 
elders, men of age and experience, scribes, lawyers, or 
those learned in the Jewish law. The number was seventy - 
one. 

Ques. Caiaphas, you stand charged as one of the party 
implicated in the murder of Jesus of Nazareth. Was 
you the high priest at the time of his crucifixion ? 

Ans. I was. 

Ques. By whom was you appointed V 

Ans: By Valerius Gfratus, under the reign of the em- 
peror Tiberius. 

Ques. Was Jesus of Nazareth brought for trial before 
your council ? 

Ans. Yes, the council being assembled at my palace. 

Ques. What did you know of Jesus ? 


563 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Ans. I knew him to be a man of linmble birth, but 
claiming to be the Messiah, the Son of God. 

Qnes. Were yon friendly to him ? 

Ans. No. Regarding him as a blasphemer, I was de- 
cidedly opposed to him. 

Qnes. Yon say you were not friendly to him. Were 
you not positively inimical % 

Ans. I was, because I regarded his claim to be the Son 
of God as blasphemous, and calculated to mislead and 
injure the people. 

Ques. Did you, in consultation with others, devise 
various plans to take and destroy him \ 

Ans. Yes, I did. 

Ques. Can you name any occasion % 

Ans. Yes. When on the Sabbath he professed to cure 
the man at the Bethesda pool, and we saw the injurious 
effect on the people, we “ sought the more to kill him.” 
When we saw his increasing and injurious influence upon 
the people, we “took counsel together to put him to 
death.” 

Ques. Were your plans carried out openly ? 

Ans. No. We feared the people, whom he was mis- 
leading, so we consulted that we might take him by sub- 
tility. 

Ques. How did you succeed in securing him ? 

Ans. One of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, came to us 
and offered for thirty pieces of silver to betray him, and 
deliver him to us. 

Ques. Did you entertain his proposition % 

Ans. Yes, we agreed to pay him his price. 

Ques. Did you arrange with him the details of the 
seizure ? 

Ans. Yes, we obtained an armed force, and went to 
the garden of Gethsemane, and there seized him. 

Ques. Were you a willing party to this arrangement ? 

Ans. Yes, under the circumstances, I approved of it, 
and gave it my full support. 


HIGH PRIESTS. 


569 


Ques. When Jesus was brought before you did you 
confront him with J udas as a witness ? 

Ans. No, we did not. 

Ques. Why did you not? Having betrayed Jesus, 
he was wholly in your power ? 

Ans. We had no confidence in him, we despised him. 

Ques. The public had not the knowledge of him that 
you had, and his testimony would have influence, why 
did you not use him ? 

Ans. In private we could get nothing from him that 
would cast a stain upon the character of Jesus. As he 
would not testify against Jesus, he was of no further use. 

Ques. Did you confront Christ with any witnesses ? 

Ans. Yes, we brought many, who gave in their testi- 
mony. 

Ques. Did these witnesses agree in their statements ? 

Ans. No, “ they agreed not together.” 

Ques. Did, Jesus make any defense ? 

Ans. No, “ he held his peace, answering nothing.’ 

Ques. What next occurred ? 

Ans. Turning to Jesus, I said, “ Art thou the Christ ? 
Tell us.” To this he replied, “If I tell you, ye will not 
believe : and if I ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let 
me go.” Seeing that he was not disposed frankly to con- 
fess, I brought all the influence of my high station to bear 
upon him, I probed his conscience, and said, “ I adjure 
thee, by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou 
be the Christ the Son of God, the son of the blessed.” 
Under the pressure of the oath he replied, “lam.” This so 
horrified me that I “rent my clothes,” saying, “he hath 
spoken blasphemy, what further need have we of witnesses ? 
And the council, instructed by the scribes, the interpreters 
of our law, replied : “He is guilty of death ; and they all 
condemned him to be guilty of death.” 

Ques. Did anything else occur in the council ? 

Ans. Yes, so indignant were they that “they did spit 


570 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


in Ms face, they mocked and buffetted him, and they 
smote him with the palms of their hands. 5 

Ques. What was the punishment for blasphemy ? 

Ans. According to our law it was death by stoning- — 
Levit. 24 : 16. 

Ques. Did you inflict this punishment ? 

Ans. No ; since onr subjugation by the Romans, we 
were not allowed to inflict the death penalty. 



JEWISH SCKIBES. 


PILATE. 

Ques. What did you then do with Jesus? 

Ans. We brought him to Pilate, that he might sen- 
tence Mm. 

Ques. Who was Pilate ? 

Ans. He was the Roman Procurator of Judea. He 
alone could pronounce and execute the sentence of death. 

Ques. Did you propose to try him before Pilate ? 

Ans. No ; we had, in our council, already tried him 
and found him to be guilty of blasphemy. We brought 
him to Pilate for sentence. 


HIGH PRIESTS. 


571 


Ques. Did Pilate condemn Jesus % 

Ans. No. He asked “what accusation bring ye 
against this man ?” We replied, “if he were not a male- 
factor we would not have delivered him unto thee.” But 
Pilate dismissed the case. 

Ques. Did you then relinquish the prosecution ? 

Ans. No ; we brought three charges, which would com- 
pel Pilate to examine. 

Ques. What were these charges % 

Ans. We accused him, saying, “ we found this fellow 
perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to 
Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” These 
three charges, being of a political character, demanded 
the immediate attention of Pilate. 

Ques. Did Pilate examine Jesus on these charges ? 

Ans. Yes. “He entered into the judgment hall, and 
called Jesus unto him.” He paid no attention to the 
charges of “perverting the nation, and of forbidding to 
give tribute unto Caesar,” but confined his examination 
to the charge of his being, as he styled it, “the King of 
the Jews.” 

Ques. What was the decision of Pilate ? 

Ans. Pilate said, “ I find no fault in this man.” 

Ques. Did you abandon the prosecution % 

Ans. No. We amended our charges and presented 
them with more determination, saying, “he stirreth up 
the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning 
from Galilee to this place.” 

Ques. Did Pilate give attention to these renewed 
charges % 

Ans. Yes, partially. For when he heard that Jesus 
belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Jesus to Herod. 

Ques. Did Herod examine Jesus ? 

Ans. He “was exceedingly glad to have Jesus before 
him, for he was desirous to see him, because he had heard 
many things of him.” We there accused Jesus, but Jesus 


572 


BIBLE PEUST CIPLES. 


maintained an unbroken silence. To all tlie questions 
put by Herod, “lie answered him nothing.” At this 
Herod was highly indignant. So much so, that “ Herod 
with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, 
and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again 
to Pilate.” 

Ques. What was now the decision of Pilate ? 

Ans. “ When he had called together the chief priests 
and the rulers, and the people, he said, I have examined 
him before you, and find no fault in this man touching 
those things whereof ye accuse him. Ho, nor yet Herod, 
for I sent you to him, and lo, nothing worthy of death is 
done unto him. I will therefore chastise him, and release 
him.” 

Ques. Were you satisfied with this decision ? 

Ans. By no means. The scourging was only a mark 
of disgrace, but we had judged him worthy of death, be- 
cause of his blasphemy, claiming to be the Messiah. 

Ques. What did Pilate do with Jesus \ Did he chas- 
• tise him ? 

Ans. Ho, not then. As it was customary to release, 
at the passover, the prisoner whom the people desired, 
he said, 4 4 will ye that I release unto you the King of the 
Jews.” This we regarded as an insult, calling him 4 4 King 
of the Jews.” 

Ques. Who was Barabbas ? 

Ans. He was a 44 notable prisoner,” who 44 had made 
insurrection, who had committed murder in the insurrec- 
tion.” 

Ques. Did you make your choice ? 

Ans. Yes, we chose Barabbas. 

Ques. Why did you select Barabbas. 

Ans. W e had no alternative, as Pilate named but these 
two. By fixing upon Barabbas, it left Jesus a prisoner, 
and met our wishes. 

Ques. Was not the proposition of Pilate made to the 
people ? 


HIGH PRIESTS. 


573 


Ans. It was. Bat as we were the responsible religious 
teachers of the people, we exerted our influence, lest they 
should select Jesus, and thus have a blasphemer released. 

Ques. Did the people follow out your wishes ? 

Ans. They did. “They cried out all at once, saying, 
awa y with this man, and release unto us Barabbas.” 

Ques. How did Pilate receive this decision ? 

Ans. He appeared to be disappointed. He seemed to 
us to be intent upon releasing Jesus. He made another 
appeal to the people, saying: “What shall I do then, 
with J esus, which is called Christ. ’ ’ They all responded, 
“let him be crucified.” 

Ques. Did Pilate make any objection ? 

Ans. Yes, he said : “ What evil has he done ? I have 
found no cause of death in him ; I will therefore chastise 
him, and let him go.” But the people “cried out the 
more exceedingly, crucify him.” 

Ques. Was crucifixion a Jewish form of punishment % 

Ans. Ho, it was a Homan. 

Ques. Why did you call for crucifixion instead of 
stoning, the penalty required by your law % 

Ans. Because we could not stone him ; and because 
crucifixion was the most disgraceful punishment, being 
the penalty for a felon, and a slave. 

Ques. Did Pilate show any reluctance to sentencing 
Jesus \ 

Ans. Yes. “ When Pilate saw that he could prevail 
nothing, but rather a tumult was made, he took water, 
and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am 
innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. 
Then all the people said, his blood be on us, and on our 
children.” “And so Pilate, willing to content the peo- 
ple released Barabbas unto them.” “And Pilate gave 
sentence that it should be as we required ” “ And when 

he had scourged Jesus he delivered him to be crucified.” 

Ques. Was Pilate still intent upon saving Jesus \ 


574 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


Ans. Yes. He brought him forth wearing the crown 
of thorns and the purple robe in which soldiers mocking- 
ly had arrayed him, and made an appeal to the com- 
passion of the people, saying, “ behold the man.” But 
we “cried out, crucify him, crucify him.” Pilate said, 
“ take ye him and crucify him, for I find no fault in him.” 
This he said to throw Jesus upon our hands. We then 
pleaded, “we have a law, and by our law he ought to die, 
because he made himself the Son of God.” This caused 
Pilate to examine Jesus again. The result was, that 
“Pilate sought to release him.” But we cried out, say- 
ing, if thou let this man go, thou art not Csesar’ s friend. 
“Whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against 
Csesar.” We thus appealed to his political interests and 
threatened an impeachment before Csesar. “When Pi- 
late, therefore, heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, 
and saith unto the Jews, behold your king ! But they 
cried out, away with him, away with him, crucify him, 
crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, shall I crucify 
your king? We then answered, we have no king but 
Csesar. Then he delivered him, therefore, unto us to be 
crucified, “ and gave the necessary orders.” 

Ques. Were you the active agents in securing the 
crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth ? 

Ans. W e were the active agents. As guardians of the 
people’s morals, we felt it to be our sacred duty to have 
an imposter and blasphemer put to death. Being subject 
to Home, we could not carry out our own law, we there- 
fore had resort to the Roman authorities. 

Ques. Did not Jesus perform very wonderful works 
of healing ? 

Ans. Yes he did, but being in league with Satan, he 
wrought these miracles by the aid of “Beelzebub the 
Prince of the devils. 

Ques. Did he not disavow such agency ? 

Ans. Certainly he did. But we did not credit his de- 
nial. 


HIGH PRIESTS. 575 

Ques. Did the people generally entertain this view of 
of Jesus? 

Ans. No ; being ignorant and incompetent to judge, 
they were carried away. 

Ques. Did Jesus affect any prerogatives of royalty ? 

Ans. No. He made no proclamation of being a king. 

Ques. Did he form his followers into bands, and at- 
tempt any political organization ? 

Ans N o, though we feared that his gro wing popularity 
would result in a new insurrection against the Romans, 
and thus involve the Jewish people in great trouble, with 
much loss of life and property. 

Ques. Was your principal opposition to Jesus of a 
religious character ? 

Ans. It was. Had he not claimed to be the Messiah, 
the Son of God, and thus became a blasphemer, we would 
have let him alone. 


DEFENSE. 

Ques. Annas and Caiaphas what have you to say why 
you should not be condemned as parties in the murder of 
Jesus ? 

Ans. We have this defense. We only brought him 
to trial, and after the trial, according to our law, and con- 
viction of the crime of blasphemy, in claiming to be the 
Messiah, the Son of God, we took the necessary steps to 
secure his execution. Pilate at first, and for a consider- 
able time, seemed determined to release Jesus, by declar- 
ing that he found no fault in him. We persevered in the 
prosecution, and finally he gave the order for the cruci- 
fixion. Besides this, it is now claimed by his disciples, 
that Jesus was the Messiah, that he died as an atoning 
sacrifice, and that in thus dying he fulfilled the ancient 
prophets, and the decree of God. If this is so, then we 


576 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


were mere instruments in the hands of God, and therefore 
were not accountable. 

Ques. Did you at the time believe that there were any 
prophecies to be fulfilled in the death of Jesus ? 

Ans. No, we did not, for we regarded him as an im- 
postor, and we proceeded against him as a blasphemer. 

Ques. Did you at the time know of any decree of God 
appointing you his agents to carry it out in the death of 
Jesus ? 

Ans. No, the decrees of God are known only to him- 
self, except so far as he is pleased to reveal them. 

Ques. If you had at the time entertained the belief that 
you were the divine agents to fulfill his decree, would you 
not then have pleaded your divine commission \ 

Ans. Certainly we should, if we could have had such 
authority. 


DECISION. 

Annas and Caiaphas. From the testimony it appears 
that you had long indulged the most determined hatred 
of Jesus of Nazareth ; that you and your associates strove 
many times and in many ways, to find accusation against 
him. It is also in evidence that several times you made 
attempts upon his life, and that for this purpose you actu- 
ally made a bargain with one of his disciples, named Ju- 
das Iscariot, to betray him into your hands, and for this 
service you paid him thirty pieces of silver. You, with 
him, arranged a plan so as to secure Jesus, and not another 
through any mistake. It is also in evidence that, during 
the night you carried out the plan previously arranged, 
that the soldiers you had secured for the occasion, seized 
and bound Jesus, and at midnight hurried him to the 
house of Annas. It is further in evidence, that Annas 
instituted an examination, not sanctioned by your law, 


HIGH PRIESTS. 


577 


at that hour, and that with no rebuke, but rather with 
the approbation of Annas, he was shamefully and un- 
justly treated by an officer who struck him. 

It is also in testimony that when before Caiaphas and 
the council, the charges were not sustained by the wit- 
nesses that were summoned. That then, Caiaphas on his 
sole responsibility, declared him to be a blasphemer ; and 
the council, on this testimony, declared him worthy of 
death. You then hurried him to the judgment seat of 
Pilate, that sentence of death might be pronounced. You 
persevered through five varied forms of charges, notwith- 
standing the decisions of Pilate, that he was innocent. 
You, in all the proceedings, illustrated your freedom, 
but in two instances you demonstrated it beyond all ques- 
tion, when you deliberately rejected Jesus, and chose 
Barabbas. This you did not once, but a second time, 
saying: “Not this man, but Barabbas.” Again, when 
Pilate washed his hands, saying : “I am innocent of the 
blood of this just man ;” you said, “his blood be upon 
us and our children.” It is also in evidence, that when 
you failed to secure from Pilate the sentence you desired, 
you turned away from the majesty and the agencies of the 
law, and made your appeal to the political fears and person- 
al interests of Pilate. Thus working upon his selfishness 
and ambition, and the fears of an impeachment, you un- 
dermined his convictions of right, and secured the con- 
demnation of Jesus, whom he repeatedly and persevering- 
ly declared to be an innocent person, in whom he found 
nothing worthy of death. He was, at your desire, con- 
demned, not upon any evidence of guilt, but solely upon 
your threat of impeachment, if Pilate did not carry out 
your expressed determination that he should die. A po- 
litical, and not a legal motive, secured his death. The 
plea that you were not free agents, but only instruments 
to carry out the divine decree, cannot be admitted in jus- 
tification of your conduct, as the fulfilling the divine 


578 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


decree formed no part of your motive. Being unknown 
to you, it could not possibly have any influence upon you 
as a motive. On the other hand, there is abounding evi- 
dence that other positive and well defined motives were 
present, and at all times operative. You hated Jesus, 
and hatred brought forth murder. Y ou determined upon 
his death. Y ou laid various plans to accom plish it. Y ou 
persevered with undeviating constancy. You used your 
station, your money, and political influences. So then, 
as the result of your voluntary agency, and your inexo- 
rable will, without the shadow of a solitary crime being 
proved against him, and the repeated declaration of his 
innocence, by his judge, you secured his crucifixion. 
We must, therefore, declare that you are guilty of the 
murder of Jesus of Nazareth. 

In this decision, the inspired records concur. “The 
God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our 
fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus ; whom ye delivered 
up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he 
was determined to let him go. But ye denied the holy 
one and the just, and desired a murderer to be granted 
unto you, and killed the Prince of Life.” — Acts 3: 13, 
14. “Him being delivered by the determinate counsel 
and fore-knowledge of God ; ye have taken, and by wick- 
ed hands, have crucified and slain.” — Acts 2 : 23. 

Is there not a moral full of admonition and warning, 
suitable to men in all the ages. Men are always volun- 
tary in all their wickedness. Many, when tempted to do 
what they know to be wrong, practically say with Judas, 
“what will ye give me,” and for the consideration yield. 
We condemn the Jews for preferring Barabbas, the rob- 
ber and murderer, to Jesus. May it not be that we 
prefer the world, the robber and murderer of souls, to 
Jesus, the divine Saviour ? 


PILATE. 


The Defender Conquered. 


p. 579 


PILATE. 


THE DEFENDER CONQUERED. 


Pontius Pilate, you stand charged, as a party to the 
murder of Jesus of Nazareth. What is your plea? 

Ans. Not guilty, as I acted only in my official char- 
acter. 

Ques. Were you the procurator or governor of Judea 
at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus % 

Ans. I was, and so continued for some years after his 
crucifixion. 

Ques. When, and by whom, were you appointed ? 

Ans. I was appointed by the emperor Tiberius Csesar. 

Ques. Did you reside in Jerusalem % 

Ans. No ; my residence was in Caesarea. But on the 
occurrence of the J ewish feast of the passover, I was al- 
ways present in Jerusalem. 

Ques. Why were you present at that feast ? 

Ans. Because great multitudes of the Jews, from all 
parts of the country, were there assembled. They were 
very restless, being a subjugated people. They at times 
meditated a revolt. I deemed it prudent to be present 
with an armed band of soldiers. 

Ques. Had you any other duties to perform than those 
of a military commander % 

Ans. Yes, as governor. I had also the duties of a 
Judge to perform. 

p. 580 


PILATE. 


581 


Ques. Was Jesus of Nazareth brought before you for 
trial ? 

Ans. I cannot say that it was for trial that he was 
first brought before me. 

Ques. For what then was he brought before you % 

Ans. Early one morning, the chief priests and leaders 
among the Jews brought Jesus, bound and delivered him 
to me. I asked, “what accusation bring ye against this 
man V 



Ques. What charges did they make against him ? 

Ans. They brought no accusation. When I objected, 
they indignantly replied, “if he were not a malefactor, 
we would not have delivered him up unto thee.” I then 
said, “take ye him, and judge him according to your 
law.” For it was the policy of the emperors, not to in- 
terfere with the laws of the subjugated provinces, save in 
one particular, inflicting the death penalty. 


582 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Ques. Were they satisfied with your decision ? 

Ans. No; they said “it is not lawful for us to put 
any man to death ;” though by our law, being a blas- 
. phemer, he is worthy of death. 

Ques. Was it for you to pronounce the sentence of 
death that they brought him to you ? 

Ans. Yes ; but I could not lawfully sentence a man 
to death whom I had not tried, or the evidence of whose 
trial was not fully before me. 


SECOND ATTEMPT. 

Ques. Did this end the case ? 

Ans. No, in a short time they returned. They aban- 
doned the charge of blasphemy, which, under the Roman 
law, was not a capital offense. They now accuse him of 
perverting the nation — “forbidding to give tribute to 
Caesar — and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” 
These were violations of Roman law, and if true, serious- 
ly implicated Jesus, and endangered his life. 

Ques. Did you examine into the truth of these charges ? 

Ans. Yes. As the judge in this province, I was bound 
to do it. I called J esus unto me, and simply asked him, 
“art thou the king of the Jews ?” This charge failing, 
the other two charges would go with it. He replied by 
asking me a question : “ sayest thou this thing of thyself, 
or did others tell it thee of me?” This I regarded as a 
fair question, as desiring to know who were his accusers. 
I said, “am I a Jew?” that I should thus accuse you. 
“Thine own nation, and the chief priests have delivered 
thee unto me.” As the chief priests brought with them 
no other testimony than their own words, I judged it but 
fair to hear what Jesus would say for himself. I there- 
fore asked, “what hast thou done?” “Art thou the 
king of the Jews ?” I was impressed with the artless sim- 


PILATE. 


583 


plicity and candor of Ms manner. He neither nttered 
recriminations, nor imputed bad motives to his accusers. 
To my question, “art thou the king of the Jews?” he 
frankly replied, “thou sayest,” that is, it is as thou say- 
est. He then explained, “my kingdom is not of this 
world ; if my kingdom were of this world, then would 
my servants fight, that I should not be delivered unto 
the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from hence.” 
This fully convinced me that he had not attempted a re- 
volt. Of the charge of refusing to pay tribute, there was 
no evidence. All turned on the charge of being a king. 
I, therefore, again asked him, “art thou a king then ?” 
He answered, “thou sayest that I am a king. To this 
was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, 
that I should bear witness unto the truth.” From tMs 
examination, I became convinced that his notions of king- 
ship were not earthly, and boded no harm to the emperor, 
and that the charges were not real, but were trumped up 
for a malicious purpose. I then went out from the judg- 
ment hall, into which the Jews feared to enter, lest they 
should be defiled, and said unto them, “I find in him no 
fault at all.” 


THIKD ATTEMPT. 

Ques. Were not the chief priests discouraged ? 

Ans. Ho, they somewhat amended their accusation, 
“and were the more fierce, saying, he stirreth up the 
people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from 
Galilee to this place.” When they mentioned Galilee, 
I asked whether the man were a Galilean?” Being as- 
certained of the fact, and that he belonged unto Herod’s 
jurisdiction, and knowing that Herod was a Jew, and 
then in Jerusalem, I sent him, with the accusers, to Herod, 
that he, knowing the condition of Galilee, might judge 
according to the evidence/ 


584 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Ques. Who was this Herod ? 

Ans. He was Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the 
Great, by his Samaritan wife, Malthace. He was ap- 
pointed by the emperor Augustus, to be petrarch of Gali- 
lee and Perea. Jesus being a Galilean, was under his 
jurisdiction. 

Ques. What was the character of Herod ? 

Ans. It was not high for morality. He married the 
daughter of Aretas, an Arabian king. He became en- 
amoured of his own niece, Herodias, the wife of his brother, 
Herod Philip. He dismissed his own wife, and induced 
Herodias to leave her husband, and live with him. Be- 
ing reproved for his adultery by John the Baptist, at the 
instance of Herodias, he beheaded John. 

Ques. Did Herod examine Jesus % 

Ans. I think not very thoroughly, though he was 
“ exceeding glad when he saw Jesus.” 

Ques. Why was Herod so glad ? Was it that he might 
vindicate him ? 

Ans. I think not. He “ was desirous to see him of a 
long season, (Luke 9 : 9,) because he had heard many 
things of him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by 
him.” 

Ques. Did Jesus gratify this curiosity and work a 
miracle ? 

Ans. Ho, he did not avail himself of this power to pro- 
pitiate Herod. 

Ques. Did Herod examine Jesus? 

Ans. ‘ 4 He questioned him in many words. But J esus 
answered him nothing. Then the chief priests and scribes 
vehemently accused him.” Herod knew that there was 
no insurrection, nor threatened insurrection in Galilee, 
instigated by Jesus or his disciples. On the contrary, he 
heard of many works of healing, and acts of kindness 
done by Jesus in Galilee. 

Ques. Did Herod send him back to you ? 


PILATE. 


585 


Ans. Yes, but not until be bad vented bis disappoint- 
ment of seeing a miracle wrought. 4 ‘ Herod, with bis men 
of war, set him at naught, and mocked him, and arrayed 
him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to me. 5 



ROMAN SOLDIERS, 


Ques. Had he found any proofs of the accusation, 
would he not have stated them to you * 

Ans. Certainly, and not naming any, it was the declar- 
ation that he was innocent of the charge, so far as Galilee 
was concerned. 

Ques. Had not you and Herod been at enmity ? 

Ans. Yes, for a long time. 

Ques. Hid you at this time become friends 3 

Ans. We did. , , 

Ques. Was it a common hatred of Jesus that made 

you friends 3 


586 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Ans. 1ST o ; this had nothing to do with it. I was friend- 
ly to Jesus. I was determined to deliver him. I do not 
think that Herod had any feeling of enmity. 

Ques. How then were you made friends ? 

Ans. My courtesy, in recognizing the jurisdiction of 
Herod, and in sending Jesus to him for judgment, heal- 
ed the enmity and we became friends. 

Ques. What was the result of this arraignment of 
Jesus ? 

Ans. I called together the chief priests and the rulers 
and the people, and said unto them, “ye have brought 
this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people : and 
behold, I, having examined him before you, have found 
no fault in this man touching the things whereof ye ac- 
cuse him : no, nor yet Herod : for I sent you to him ; and 
lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him. I will 
therefore chastise him and release him.” 

Ques. Why did you propose to chastise Jesus, he be- 
ing innocent ? 

Ans. I hoped thus to satisfy them ; as a public scourg- 
ing put the indelible mark of disgrace upon the person, 
it would render ridiculous any pretentions of Jesus to 
royalty. He could not claim to be the king of the Jews. 

Ques. Did this satisfy the chief priests ? 

Ans. Ho ; they spurned this, and pressed still more 
urgently upon me that I should give sentence against him. 

Ques. Why were they so urgent to have you change 
your decision ? 

Ans. It was not because they regarded it wrong or 
illegal. For they knew they had produced no evidence 
to sustain even a well-grounded suspicion, much less 
positive proof of guilt. They were urgent because my 
decision stood in the way of their determination to secure 
his death. 

Ques. What motive influenced them thus resolutely 
to seek his death ? 


PILATE. 


587 


Ans. I have no doubt, as they abandoned the charge 
of blasphemy, and pressed others of a political character, 
that it was for envy that they accused him. He had such 
power over the people, that it greatly circumscribed the 
authority of the high priests and scribes. They feared, 
if he continued to heal the sick, open the eyes of the 
blind, unstop the ears of the deaf, unloose the tongues of 
the dumb, cast out devils, and raise the dead, it would 
not be long before their whole power would be subverted, 
and their religious organization destroyed. I have no 
doubt it was envy that gave intensity and inflexibility to 
their determination. 

Ques. Why were they so intent that you should con- 
demn him ? 

Ans. To accomplish his death by assassination, which 
they could have done, would bring the crime of murder 
home to them ; or, if in any other way they should carry 
out their purpose, it would involve them in trouble. If 
by some legal tribunal they could secure his death, it 
would not only screen them, but more readily fix upon 
Jesus, the crimes of which he was charged. 

Ques. Did you then chastise and release Jesus ? 

Ans. No, I did neither chastise nor release, but I sub- 
mitted to them a definite proposition, by which I hoped 
to save the prisoner. 

Ques. What was your proposition ? 

Ans. It was my custom, on the occurrence of the pass- 
over, to release unto them a prisoner whom they desired. 
At that time, there was a notable prisoner named Barab- 
bas, who had made insurrection, and had committed rob- 
bery and murder in the insurrection. This man being so 
notoriously bad, and a terror to the people, and having 
made insurrection, the crime charged against Jesus, I 
judged they would not desire his release. I therefore 
said unto them, “whom will ye that I release unto 
you? Barabbas, or Jesus, which is called Christ?” 


588 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


Ques. To whom did yon make this proposition ? 

Ans. To the people, for they were the most interested 
to keep Barabbas bound. I hoped that they, governed 
by their personal interests, would reject Barabbas, and 
thus Jesus would be released. 

Ques. What was the choice made ? 

Ans. “The chief priests and elders persuaded the 
multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy 
Jesus.” While this was going on, I received an impas- 
sioned message from my wife, Claudia. 

Ques. What was the message ? 

Ans. “Have thou nothing to do with that just man ; 
for I have suffered many things this day in a dream, be- 
cause of him.” This troubled me, and rendered me more 
determined, if possible, to save Jesus from their malice. 
As I was the more willing to release the prisoner, I said 
unto them : 4 ‘ whether of the twain will ye that I release 
unto you?” They cried out, “not this man, but Barab- 
bas.” I saw that the chief priests and elders had pre- 
vailed with the people. I was fully persuaded that they 
were not sincere in their charge of sedition, and their pro- 
fessed loyalty to Caesar. When they saw my amazement 
and determination, they reiterated their demand with 
greater vehemence, crying out, “away with this man, and 
release unto us Barabbas.” I then asked, “what will 
ye then, that I shall do unto him whom ye call the king 
of the Jews?” “They cried out, crucify him.” I then 
said unto them, 4 ‘ why, what evil hath he done ?” “ They 

cried out the more exceedingly, crucify him.” This 
showed me, more clearly, how inexorable was their de- 
termination. Still, as I knew Jesus to be innocent, and 
that they were insincere and malicious, I reiterated my 
unaltered conviction, that there was no cause of death in 
him. This brought forth all the venom of their hearts ; 
for “ they were instant with loud voices,” the people join- 
ing with them, “ requiring and crying out the more ex- 
ceedingly, crucify him, crucify him.” 


PILATE. 


589 


Ques. Did you tlien give the order for his crucifixion % 

Ans. No. I made another effort to save him. Hop- 
ing to change their minds, I set before them their terrible 
responsibility in thus demanding the death of an innocent 
man. Seeing that I could prevail nothing, but that rather 
a tumult was made, I took water and washed my hands 
before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood 
of this just person ; see ye to it. Then answered all the 
people, and said, “his blood be on us and on our chil- 
dren.” 

Ques. Why did you wash your hands % 

Ans. It was the usual symbol of purification. By it 
I intended to impress my conviction upon them that I 
was pure from all blame in delivering Jesus into their 
hands. My design was to throw off from myself all re- 
sponsibility. I meant to have them understand that all 
the blame settled upon them, who so persistently, and 
with such ingenuity and urgency had compelled me to 
deliver over an innocent man to death. 

Ques. Did you satisfy your own conscience that you 
had no responsibility % 

Ans. No ; I still had trouble of mind. His reproach- 
ful look I could not banish. It followed me even when 
I shut my eyes. 

Ques. Did you release Barabbas % 

Ans. Yes, I released Barabbas, and delivered Jesus to 
their will. 

Ques. Why did you “ deliver Jesus to their will,” 
knowing him to be innocent ? 

Ans. I did what I thought was most expedient. The 
chief priests, with the people, were so turbulent, that I 
feared a tumult. Under the circumstances I judged it 
better that one innocent man should die, than that many 
should be slain in the tumult. For had a tumult arisen, 
the band of soldiers would have been called out. 

Ques. As the Roman governor, was it not your duty 


590 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


to protect, with all the power at your command, the in- 
nocent ? 

Ans. Yes it was, but in this case I was so environed 
with difficulties, and was so resistlessly driven on that I 
was not a free agent, and responsible for my conduct. 

Ques. Had you not a distinct motive which governed 
you? 

Ans. Yes; knowing him to be innocent, I devised 
various plans for his release. I reasoned with the chief 
priests. When I released Barabbas, it was to prevent a 
tumult, and save life. Had a tumult come, it would have 
subjected me to an examination before the emperor, which 
I was desirous to avoid. 

Ques. Hid you not fear an examination by the em- 
peror for releasing a guilty man, and sentencing an inno- 
cent one to death ? 

Ans. No ; the friends of Jesus were poor, scattered, 
and had no influence at court ; whilst the chief priests had 
great power and influence. They were to be feared rather 
than the others. 


ANOTHER ATTEMPT. 

Ques. Besides releasing Barabbas did you condemn 
Jesus ? 

Ans. Yes ; under the pressure of the circumstances, I 
was “ willing to content the people,” and delivered Jesus 
to be scourged and then crucified. 

Ques. Why did you scourge Jesus? 

Ans. It was the custom to examine prisoners by 
scourging. Thus they often confessed their crime. 

Ques. As you believed Jesus to be innocent, and only 
of envy accused by the chief priests, why scourge him ? 

Ans. As scourging was the usual preliminary, I could 
not omit it in this case without awaking suspicion. 


PILATE. 


591 


Ques. W as scourging inflicted upon all criminals ? 
Ans. No. All Roman citizens were exempt. It was 
only inflicted upon slaves and foreigners. 

Ques. W as it regarded as an indignity. 

Ans. Yes ; the person thus punished, if he survived, 
was regarded as permanently disgraced. 



6COUEGING. 


Ques. How was this punishment inflicted \ 

Ans. The culprit was stripped, and so bound to a low 
pillar, that his bent back might readily receive the strokes. 
The scourge was made of cords, or thongs of leather, some- 
times knotted with jagged fragments of bones, or heavy 
indented circles of bronze or lead, and terminated with 
hooks. Every blow brought blood, until the quivering 
nerves were laid bare. Under the agony of this inflic- 
tion the victim generally fainted, and oftentimes died. 


LAST ATTEMPTS. 

Ques. What took place after the scourging ? 

Ans. The soldiers took Jesus into the common hall. 


592 


BIBLE PEINCIPLES. 


There they stripped him and put on him a scarlet robe ; 
rather a military cloak ; for a crown they platted a green 
wreath of thorns, which they thrust violently upon his 
head, and for a sceptre they put a reed in his hands. The 
robe, the crown of thorns, and the reed, were mock em- 
blems of the royalty which Jesus was accused of claiming. 
Then they bowed the knee in mock homage, saying, 

‘ 4 Hail, king of the Jews.” Then, with contempt and 
scorn, they spit upon him and smote him with their hands. 
This treatment of a man whom I knew to be innocent 
smote me, and stirred up my sense of justice as well as 
my humanity, and I determined to save him from death. 

Ques. What did you then do ? 

Ans. When I saw him thus, his face, and hair, and 
shoulders clotted with blood, his back lacerated and 
bleeding, his face swollen with blows, his countenance 
marred with exhaustion, weariness and suffering, my hu- 
manity was moved. I said to myself, surely this will 
shake their determination. So I resolved to make one 
more effort to save Jesus from death. “I went forth 
again, and said unto them, behold, I bring him forth to 
you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.” 
“And said unto them, behold the man!” I said this 
with strong emotion. By it, I appealed to their pity, 
forcing before them the question, has he not suffered 
enough ? W ill not his degradation and pitiable condition 
suffice ? But it was all in vain. There was no pity in 
the heart of the priests. Fearing that the people might 
be moved by this touching appeal, they waited not for 
them, but instantly, and with more intense determination 
than ever, cried out, “crucify him, crucify him.” Then, 
in irony and contempt, I said unto them, “take ye him, 
and crucify him, for I find no fault in him.” 

Ques. Did the chief priests then take him away for 
crucifixion % 

Ans. No, they had no power over his life. They un- 


PILATE. 


593 


derstood me as positively refusing to condemn him, and 
as throwing the prisoner upon their hands. 

Ques. What did they then do ? 

Ans. They abandoned for the time, the charge of se- 
dition, and fell back upon that of blasphemy, saying: 
“ we have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because 
he made himself the Son of God.” Csesar is our master, 
still he governs us by our laws. By our laws, blasphemy 
merits death. As we cannot execute him by stoning, we 
demand that you shall crucify this blasphemer. 

Ques. Did this demand shake your determination % 

Ans. Not in the least. When I heard that he claimed 
to be the Son of God, I “was the more afraid.” I went 
again into the judgment hall, and made particular in- 
quiries of Jesus. The result was a stronger determina- 
tion to release him ; which determination I made known 
to the chief priests. 

Ques. Did they relinquish their demand for his cru- 
cifixion ? 

Ans. No; their malice was fertile. They abandoned 
all their former accusations, and made a direct assault 
upon my political interests. They threatened me with 
impeachment before the emperor, as derelict of duty, 
saying : if thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar’ s 
friend ; who so maketh himself a king, speaketh against 
Caesar.” This appeal to my official and political inte- 
rests, was more than I could stand. The case was simply 
this : If I released Jesus, I should be impeached and de- 
graded. I knew that complaints of my administration 
had already been made. If I fell in with the demand of 
the chief priests, I should make them my friends, secure 
my political position, and reign in honor. Still, I was 
not hasty. I “ brought forth Jesus, and said unto the 
Jews, behold your king ! But they cried out, away with 
him, crucify him.” I said unto them, “ shall I crucify 
your king?” The chief priests answered, “we have no 


594 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


king, but Caesar. ’’ Then, and not till then , when I saw I 
could not prevail against their clamors for his death — then , 
when I saw if I did not yield, I would make these power- 
ful and unscrupulous men my implacable enemies — then , 
when I saw I must either give up Jesus to crucifixion, or 
lose my own place, and be driven away to poverty and 
disgrace — then , and not till then , did I yield and deliver 
him to death. I did what I thought was best, and what 
most men in my then condition would have done. 

Ques. Have you anything more to say ? 

Ans. Ho ; I believe I have placed before you all the 
facts 


SENTENCE. 

We might here call in the chief priests and leaders of 
the Jews, for corroboration and confirmation. There is 
but one question of any importance to be asked of them, 
and that is, whether they regarded Pilate as a free moral 
agent, and responsible for his actions. Self-respect would 
compel them to answer that they did. It could hardly 
be imagined that they would bring their accusations of 
Jesus before you as a mere machine in human form. The 
manner in which they conducted the prosecution, and 
especially the personal, political motive which they crowd- 
ed upon you, demonstrates that they regarded you as a 
free agent, open to the full influence of motives. They 
plied your fears, your love of place and power, your self- 
ish, political interests, and thus overcame all your scru- 
ples. Knowing your assailable points, that you lacked 
deep-rooted principles of justice, and firmness of charac- 
ter, they went to work, confident that under the power of 
certain motives, which they could bring to bear upon you, 
they could so change your determination to release Jesus, 
that you would choose to pass the sentence of death upon 
him. 


PILATE. 


595 


That the chief priests and Jewish leaders were guilty, 
eminently and most foully guilty, cannot be doubted. 
Nay, were far more guilty than you. Still their crimi- 
nality, no matter how flagrant and inexcusable, cannot 
release you from your personal responsibility. 

From your examination the following facts are proven : 

1. You knew that Jesus was innocent of all the accu- 
sations brought against him. 

2. You knew that his accusers were not honest in their 
accusations, but were governed by envy, malice and per- 
sonal interests. 

3. You knew that, as governor of the province, it was 
your solemn and highest duty to protect the innocent from 
the machinations of the wicked. 

4. You knew, that if you used your power as gover- 
nor, against the innocent, to favor the plans of guilty 
prosecutors, you would be recreant to your high trust, 
and guilty of an enormous crime. 

5. You knew, that after repeated attempts to release 
Jesus, because of your full conviction of his innocence, 
to save your place as governor, you went against your 
unwavering convictions of his innocence, and joined with 
Ms murderers, and gave the sentence of death. 

6. You knew, that in pronouncing this sentence, you 
were not governed by a regard to justice, but by personal, 
selfish, political motives. 

7. You knew, that you were perfectly free in what you 
did, and that, rather than make the chief priests your 
enemies, you chose to condemn to death an innocent man. 

In view of the whole evidence, we cannot see why you 
must not be regarded and treated as a guilty party to the 
murder of Jesus of Nazareth. 


HISTOEY. 

It may be well to add a few items of the history of this 


596 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


bad man. That lie did not possess the kindest feelings 
towards the chief priests is evident from the inscription : 
“ Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 

This title, written, in conspicuous letters, in Hebrew, 
and Greek, and Latin, was galling to the pride of the 
chief priests. They said to Pilate, “ write not the king 
of the Jews ; but that he said, I am the king of the Jews.” 
In the most curt and peremptory manner, he “ answered 
what I have written, I have written.” So it must stand. 

He gave the body of Jesus to Joseph of Arimathea, that 
it might not take the course usual for felons, but receive 
friendly and honorable burial. W e learn from Josephus 
that he did not escape political disaster. For his cruelty 
to the Samaritans, who complained of him to Vitellius, 
the President of Syria, who sent him to Rome to answer 
their accusations before the emperor. On reaching Rome 
he found that emperor Tiberius was dead, and that Cali- 
gula was in his place. By this emperor he was banish- 
ed. Tradition is not certain as to the place, but all ac- 
counts agree that “ wearied with misfortune,” in remorse 
and despair he destroyed himself. 


MORAL. 

Pilate is not the only man who has sold his principles 
for place, emolument and power. Many, in all the ages, 
to promote their political or worldly interests have al- 
lowed their sense of right to be undermined, and they 
plunged into the awful vortex of political and worldly 
corruption. 

Human nature is a very weak thing when left without 
supporting grace. Temptation is many times too strong 
for it. 

It is ever true, “ The way of transgressors is hard.” 


JOSEPH AND NICODEMUS. 


The Timid Brought Out. 


JOSEPH AND NICODEMUS. 


THE TIMID BROUGHT OUT. 


Among those who witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus, 
Joseph of Arimathea stands prominent. He was a man 
distinguished for his birth, his wealth, and his station. 
He was a native of Arimathea, a city of about three thou- 
sand inhabitants, in the tribe of Benjamin, about twenty- 
four miles north-west of Jerusalem. It was on the moun- 
tain range of Ephraim, not far from Gribea. His residence 
was either in Jerusalem or its vicinity. He is introduced 
to us as an “ honorable counsellor.” It is the opinion of 
the learned James Macknight, D.D., of Scotland, that he 
was one of the council of Pilate, aiding him in managing 
the affairs of the province of Judea. This made him per- 
sonally and intimately acquainted with the governor. 

He was also a member of the Sanhedrim, the highest 
court or congress of the Jews, composed of seventy sena- 
tors, with the high priest as the president. It is particu- 
larly recorded of him, “ the same had not consented to 
the counsel and deed of them,” that is, the vote of the 
Sanhedrim, that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy, in claim- 
ing to be “ the Christ, the Son of the Blessed,” and there- 
fore worthy of death. I think also that there is evidence 
that he did not participate, in any way, with the perse- 
vering efforts of the high priests and rulers in securing 
the crucifixion. For it is stated that he was £ ‘ a good man, 

p. 598 


JOSEPH AND HICODEMUS. 


599 


and just,” and that he “ waited for the kingdom of God,” 
1 1 being a disciple of .J esus, but secretly, for fear of the 
Jews.” Though convinced from his knowledge of the 
writings of the prophets, and the manifest confirmatory 
works and teachings of Jesus, that he was the promised 
Messiah, still, through timidity or imagined prudence, 
his convictions were kept in obeyance by the malignant 
attitude of the Jewish rulers. He was not yet prepared 
to meet the peril of excommunication. But the strangely 
wicked scenes he had witnessed, connected with the trial, 
condemnation, and crucifixion of Jesus, deeply moved 
him. His mingled sorrow and indignation inspired him 
with unwonted courage. Such were the natural outward 
causes of his courage. But we doubt not, that the Spirit 
of God, with persuasive power, touched his heart, and 
nerved him to prompt and resolute action. N ow his love 
for Jesus is stronger than his fear of the Jews. He knew, 
from the usages of the times, that the body of his Lord, 
if it were treated as those of malefactors generally, would, 
when the flesh was removed, and consumed in the undy- 
ing fires of the valley of Hinnom, just south of Jerusalem, 
the bones, and only the bones, would be deposited in a 
tomb. To prevent this ignominy, he came ‘and went in 
boldly unto Pilate, and “ begged the body of Jesus.” 
How singularly and opportunely God raised up the neces- 
sary agent to protect the body of Jesus, so that its iden- 
tity, after the resurrection, might be perfectly proven. 
Had Peter, or John, or any other, or all of the known dis- 
ciples made this request, Pilate, aware of the hostile feel- 
ings, and suspicions of the Jewish rulers, would not have 
consented. But when Joseph of Arimathea, his personal 
friend and counsellor, a man known to all as a person of 
wealth and station, and “a good man and just,” incapa- 
ble of any intrigue or dishonorable conduct, craved the 
body, he granted the request. 

Having obtained this permission, with the necessary 


600 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


written authority, Joseph immediately repaired to the 
place of the crucifixion, and the centurian gave the body 
to Joseph. He had it carefully taken down from the 
cross. ‘ ‘ He bought fine linen and wrapped the body in 
the linen.” The body being washed from the blood and 
from the spittle of the contemptuous mockers, was wrap- 
ped in a winding sheet, then inclosing the spices, it was 
swathed with long bandages of linen, a few inches wide, 
tightly around the body. Thus prepared, he laid the 
body “in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in 
the rock.” “Wherein never man before was laid,” and 
“he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and 
departed. ’ * Here was another carefulness of divine provi- 
dence for indentifying the body of Jesus after the resur- 
rection. It could be traced, in responsible hands, from 
the cross to the rock tomb, with no back door to it, and 
there guarded by malignant hatred of the priests. 

The few facts recorded of Joseph of Arimathea, on 
the sacred page, clearly illustrate his characteristics. He 
was just, but cautious ; honorable, but fearful ; loving 
but timid. But when the circumstances demanded, his 
sense of honor and justice, under the control of love, over- 
rode his timidity, fear and caution, and made him bold, 
resolute, and courageous. Thus was this timid one 
brought out. And under peculiarly trying conditions 
he avowed himself to be a disciple of Jesus. 


NICODEMTTS. 

Mcodemus was also a witness of the crucifixion. He 
was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrim, a ruler 
of the Jews and a teacher of Israel. He was timid and 
cautious, and not forward to commit himself to a new or 
unpopular cause. Still, so strongly had either the re- 
ported or witnessed miracles of Christ impressed him, that 




JOSEPH AND NICODEMUS. 


601 


he sought at night an interview with Jesus. He thus 
manifested candor and desire for instruction. Knowing 
the scorn and contempt of the rulers for Christ was the 
reason why this timid man sought Jesus by night. Can- 
dor and the love of truth are conspicuous in what he said 
to Jesus, “ Rabbi, we know thou art a teacher come from 
God : for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, 
except God be with him.” He stood up for Christ before 
the Sanhedrim, saying, u Doth our law judge any man 
before it hear him and know what he doeth 3” 

What influence the boldness and unreserve of Joseph 
of Arimathea may have had upon the decision and con- 
duct of Nicodemus, we are not told. But certain it is, 
that he did not come forward, with his avowal of disciple- 
ship, and testimonials of affection, until Joseph, a man 
of his own rank, wealth and station, had set the example. 
It is not improbable that these men, having previously 
interchanged their sentiments about Jesus, and having a 
kindred feeling, were prepared to be mutually influenced, 
and to act together. The record is, “ and there came also 
Nicodemus, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, 
about a hundred pound weight. Then took they the body 
of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes, with spices, as 
the manner of the Jews is to bury.” “ Now in the place 
where he was crucified, there was a garden, and in the 
garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man laid. 
There laid they Jesus, therefore because of the Jews’ pre- 
paration day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.” 
Thus, though Christ died like a malefactor, he was buried 
like a king. 

There is something sublimely touching in the conduct 
of these two men, as they tenderly handle and lovingly 
prepare for honorable burial, this despised and crucified 
convict. Their convictions carried them high above the 
scorn, contempt and rage of the high priests and rulers. 
It was love for Jesus, that made Joseph so resolute and 
26 


602 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


courageous. It was love for Jesus, that conquered the 
selfish fear of Nicodemus, and, in this most trying hour, 
drew him forth into open and avowed discipleship. 

Where there is true love, such is its nature, that sooner 
or later, it will manifest itself. The providence of God, 
will also so appeal to it, as certainly to call it forth into 
activity, no matter how forbidding may be the surround- 
ing circumstances. Thus it was with Joseph of Arima- 
thea, and Nicodemus. These were representative men, 
and strongly illustrate what is often seen. Though love 
to Christ may be feeble in its beginnings, and in contact 
with opposing selfish influences, still it will grow and 
strengthen, and overcome all other powers, and assert 
and maintain its supremacy. 

In the providence of God, these honorable, just men, 
were, by their timidity, held back until the fitting oppor- 
tunity should arrive, when their personal services were 
indispensable. Thus God brought good, eminent good, 
out of the evil of secret discipleship. Thus, the body of 
Jesus, saved from desecration and destruction; and so 
placed as to secure its whereabouts and its identity, that 
the proofs of its resurrection might be clear and indispu- 
table. For the resurrection is the essential foundation 
fact of Christianity. “ I delivered unto you first of all, 
that which I also received, how that Christ died for our 
sins according to the Scriptures ; and that he was buried, 
and that he rose again the third day, according to the 
Scriptures.” “ And if Christ be not risen, then is our 
preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.” “ Ye are 
yet in your sins. Then they also, which are fallen asleep 
in Christ, are perished.”— 1 Cor. 15: 3-18. Without 
Christ risen from the dead, there is no Christian religion. 
This one fact is vital, and no person can afford to be in- 
different about it. The salvation of every man is depend- 
ent upon the resurrection of Christ. 


PETER AND JOHN. 


Courage and Logie. 


p. 603 


PETER AND JOHN. 

COURAGE AND LOGIC. 


From the calling of Peter and John to become fishers 
of men, the distinctive characteristics of each are clearly 
marked. On many occasions these characteristics are 
strongly contrasted. Peter is impulsive, bold and cou- 
rageous; always forward and forth-putting, yet with 
great generosity of nature. 

In the character of John, there was a beautif ul blending 
of affection, gentleness, force, steadfastness and humility. 
Though exhaustless in his amiability, he was firm and 
fearless. Though meditative and eminently spiritual, he 
lacked neither in vigor nor decision. Whilst less de- 
monstrative than Peter, he was more clear and searching 
in his thoughts. Whilst less venturesome than Peter, 
he was more .quick in his perceptions, and logical in his 
deductions. 

Perhaps the most graphic and discriminating illustra- 
tion of their distinctive characteristics, is found in their 
conduct at the tomb. 

When Mary Magdalene, with her characteristic energy 
and courage, ran ahead of her companions, and arriving 
at the sepulchre, and found the stone rolled away, she 
was amazed and filled with consternation. Deeper still, 
was her terror — nay, her agony, when, on entering the 
tomb, she found not the body. Supposing it had been 
removed by some evil-minded persons, “she runneth, 

p. 604 


PETER AND JOHN. 


605 


and cometh to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom 
Jesus loved, and saith unto them : they have taken away 
the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where 
they have laid him.” — John 20 : 2. This news so stirred 
and roused these men, that “they ran both together; 
and the other disciple did out-run Peter, and came first 
to the sepulchre. And he, stooping down and looking 



INTERIOR OF TOMB. 


in, saw the linen clothes lying ; yet went he not in. Then 
cometh Simon Peter, following him, and went into the 
sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin 
that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, 
but wrapped together in a place by itself Then went in 
also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, 
and he saw and believed ”— John 20: 4-9. BelieVed 


606 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


what % Not that the body was gone. This he knew be- 
fore, from the report of Mary Magdalene, and the vacant 
tomb. He believed in the resurrection . The process by 
which he reached this conviction, was simple and demon- 
strative. It was purely logical. The napkin, ‘ ‘ wrapped 
together in a place by itself,” was a small, very small 
item, one which by most persons, would have been over- 
looked ; but to his logical mind, it poured in a flood of 
resistless evidence, which permanently settled his belief, 
that Christ had actually risen from the dead. 

Things small, in human estimation, often play a most 
conspicuous and essential part in the wonderfnl workings 
of divine providence. The murderer, who, alone and in 
the most secret manner, executes his foul purpose, is de- 
tected and identified by some little thing which he could 
not have anticipated, or by some trivial circumstance the 
most satisfactory proof of the innocence of an accused 
person is made evident. The placing of the napkin care- 
fully folded in a place by itself, relieved the mind of John 
from all the suspicions which may have disturbed it while 
on his way to the tomb. He saw at once that the other 
disciples could not have stolen the body while the sol- 
diers slept. He came to this conclusion, not simply from 
his confidence in his fellow disciples that they would 
neither steal nor fabricate a falsehood ; nor from the fact 
that the disciples were in no mood for such a perilous 
enterprise ; nor from the fact that he knew of their where- 
abouts, during those sorrowful nights, but simply and 
alone from the position of the napkin. Had the disciples 
taken away the body, they would not have stripped it, 
but would have hurried away with it, with the napkin 
and the linen clothes, or if the napkin or anything had 
been dropped, in the hurry of so perilous an enterprise, 
it would have been found where it fell. It was incon- 
ceivable that the disciples should pause and lay “the 
linbn clothes by themselves” and the “ napkin, not lying 


PETER AND JOHN. 607 

with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place 
by itself, and the naked body alone taken away. 

He knew that the body could not have been taken by 
thieves. Their motive would have been plunder. Such 
a supposition might naturally have been entertained by 
him on his way to the tomb. He knew that many thous- 
ands of strangers, from all parts of the country, were at 
that season gathered at Jerusalem, and that among these 
doubtless there were dishonest and unscrupulous men. 
Such, having heard of the munificence of Joseph and Nico- 
demus in the burial of the convict crucified, might deter- 
mine, in the night, to rob the tomb of its treasures. The 
moment he saw “ the napkin wrapped together in a place 
by itself ” he knew, with absolute certainty, that no rob- 
ber band had violated this sanctuary of the dead. Had 
thieves come they would have either stripped the body 
and carried away the linen and the spices and left the 
body ; or they would have carried away the body as en- 
veloped in the linen and spices. But he saw that only 
the body was gone, whilst all the burial garments were 
left. This was not all. He saw that the grave-clothes 
were so arranged as to demonstrate that there had been 
neither haste nor confusion, but deliberation and order. 
He saw the facts. He comprehended their significancy. 
And because of them he believed that his Lord had actu- 
ally risen from the dead. So cogent and irresistible are 
facts to a logical mind. 

How diverse, yet characteristic was the action of these 
two Apostles. Both were actuated by the same motive. 
So intense was that motive, that both ran with their ut- 
most speed. John reached the sepulchre first, and, stoop- 
ing down, looked in and “saw the linen clothes lying,” 
but saw no corpse there. P eter rushed up and fearlessly 
entered the tomb. He, too, “saw the linen clothes lie, 
and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with 
the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by it- 


608 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


self.” He saw and wondered, but found no solution to 
the mystery of the disappearance of the body. Now J ohn 
enters, and, fastening his searching eye upon the clothes 
as they lay, and especially upon “the napkin wrapped 
together in a place by itself,” and he immediately solved 
the difficulty. His conviction was vivid and settled. 
There, in that tomb, his heart palpitated with joy, for he 
knew of a certainty that his Lord, according to his prom- 
ise, had risen in this third day, “ wondering in himself at 
that which had come to pass.” This conviction, with the 
reason which induced it, he doubtless stated and explained 
to Peter. 4 4 Then the disciples went away again unto their 
own homes.” 


CONFIRMATORY EVIDENCE. 

On the evening of the same day, when all the Apostles, 
except Thomas, were assembled in Jerusalem, “ the doors 
were shut for fear of the Jews,” Christ suddenly “ap- 
peared in the midst of them.” He submitted such evi- 
dences of the reality and identity of his person, and being 
alive again as to banish all credulity. 4 4 Behold my hands 
and my feet, that it is I myself : handle me, and see ; for 
a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.” 
“ He said unto them, have ye here any meat ? And they 
gave him a piece of broiled fish, and of an honey-comb. 
And he took it, and did eat before them.” — Matt. 16 : 40, 
42. This, so far as the record goes, was the end of all 
doubt to those present. They now knew that the cruci- 
fied one was alive again. “ Then were the disciples glad 
when they saw the Lord.” — John 20 : 20. 

A week later, on the evening of the second Lord’s day, 
the Apostles, including Thomas, being assembled, Jesus 
came and stood in the midst and said, 4 4 peace be unto 
you.” 


PETER AND JOHN. 


609 


The ten had already been convinced of his resurrection, 
only Thomas doubted. Fastening his loving but search- 
ing eye upon him, Jesus said, “ Thomas, reach hither thy 
finger, and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand 
and thrust it into my sideband be not faithless, but be- 
lieving.” The evidence was too plain and overwhelming 
to be resisted. “And Thomas answered and said unto 
him, my Lord, and my God.” This was a frank declar- 
ation of his belief. He recognized not only as the same 
Lord and Master he had followed, but also as his divine 
Saviour. 

In the subsequent lives of these Apostles these traits 
were characteristic and conspicuous. Peter knew no fear. 
The early chapters of the Acts of the Apostles furnish the 
evidence of his fearlessness. On the day of Pentecost he 
boldly charges upon the Jewish rulers the murder of 
Christ, “and by wicked hands have crucified and slain.” 
Again, “ but ye denied the holy one and the just, and de- 
sired a murderer to be granted unto you : and killed the 
Prince of Life, whom God hath raised from the dead : 
whereof we are witnesses.” Again, before the high priest 
and others, “ Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, 
whom God raised from the dead. ’ 5 When threatened and 
imprisoned, “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, 
whom ye slew and hanged on a tree * * and we are 
his witnesses.” Conversion did not change the natural 
temperament of Peter. But grace sanctified it and gave 
it a right direction. 

John, though of a milder and more retiring disposition, 
though of a calmer and more contemplative cast of mind 
than Peter, was not in any degree deficient in moral cour- 
age. His convictions being prompt and clear, they deter- 
mined his action and shaped his conduct. Nor could his 
way of life be changed, until by new evidence, his mind 
was convinced. He had the courage to act out his con- 
victions. It is impossible to read attentively his three 


610 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


epistles without being deeply impressed with the simplic- 
ity and clearness of his statements and of the severe 
logic by which he follows out the results which necessari- 
ly flow from his premises. It is this one characteristic 
which makes those epistles so searching. No part of the 
inspired volume is more trying to Christian experience. 
The most spiritual here find a penetrating power that lays 
bare the most occult workings of their hearts. Emotions 
but partially sanctified, are so exposed that no reliance can 
be placed upon them. Spiritual religion is so discriminat- 
ing as to expose mere external service. The evidences of 
the true discipleship are so boldly stated, and the result- 
ing comfort, as to cheer and encourage. “These things 
write we unto you that your joy may be full.” 

How cogent is the logic of the following as a sample : 
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the 
world. If any man love the world, the love of the 
Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the 
lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride 
of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the 
world passeth away, and the lust thereof : but he that 
doeth the will of God abideth forever.” — 1 John 2 : 15-17. 
“Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; 
and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth 
God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God ; for God is 
love.” — 1 John 4 : 7, 8. 

The consistency of these two Apostles is beautifully 
illustrated. Thoroughly convinced of the resurrection, 
wherever they went they preached Jesus and the Re- 
surrection. N either threatenings, nor bonds, nor scour- 
gings, nor imprisonment, nor martyrdom, could shake 
their constancy. Both courage and logic, and what is 
better, the love of Christ, was boldly transparent in them. 
They knew that Jesus, whom they saw crucified, and 
buried, had risen from the dead, had ascended on high, 
and was the mediatorial king upon his throne. These 


PETER AND JOHN. 


611 


convictions were imperishable. They were true to them 
in life and in death. Courageous, and logical, and blessed ! 

Every man has his peculiar gifts of God. One after 
this manner and the other after that. Peculiar circum- 
stances may give shape and direction, nay, may greatly 
intensify, but cannot eradicate them. The Puritans, now 
so flippantly sneered at and censured, as dogmatic and 
morose, were men of conscience, and brave enough to 
stand by their honest convictions. They had to bear the 
heat and burden of the day when despotism in church and 
state was dominant. They had to fight against hard times. 
To stand by their principles made them rigid and unyield- 
ing. The oppressions which they resisted would have 
crushed men of less firmness of character. Their circum- 
stances intensified their noble, fearless traits. They labor- 
ed with enduring patience and perseverence and wrought 
out religious and civil liberty. We have entered into 
their labors. 

The signers of the Declaration of Independence were 
men of marked character. Men of feebler nerve could 
never have either written or signed that paper. Other 
men, as patriotic, stood in places fitted for them. Some 
men like Washington must be leaders and thus control, 
whilst others, with hearts as true, must fill up the rank 
and file. There is a constitutional adaptedness, bom of 
God, which crowds men forward to the places for which 
they are fitted. Not more strikingly diverse were the 
characteristics of Peter and John than were those of 
Luther and Melanchton. 

The Rev. Richard Cecil, M. A., late of London, happily 
hits off the peculiarities of these two contemporaries. 
“Look at Martin Luther: we may see the man every 
day : his eye s, and nose, and mouth attest his character. 
Look at Melanchton : he is like a snail with his couple 
of horns : he puts out his horns and feels— and feels— and 
feels. No education could have rendered these two men 


612 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


alike. Their difference began in the womb. Luther 
dashes in saying his things : Melanchton must go round 
about — he must consider what the Gfreek says, and what 
the Syriac says.” “Men often take to themselves great 
credit for what they owe entirely to nature.” 

As most men are born to think other men’s thoughts, 
it becomes thojse who, would lead public sentiment, to see 
to it that they put forth only those thoughts which it will 
be safe and profitable for other men to follow. 


p 


* 





JESUS THE CHRIST. 

The Messiah of Prooheev. 

jL C' 


p. 613 




JESUS THE CHRIST. 

THE MESSIAH OF PROPHECY. 


There are, in the Old Testament Scriptures, more than 
one hundred passages which refer to the Messiah. Some 
of these are general, denoting his dignity, his divinity, 
and the design of his coming. Other passages are more 
specific, and mention very remarkable incidents which are 
to discriminate him from all other persons, and by which 
he could be certainly identified as the Messiah promised. 
As the time of his appearing drew nearer the predictions 
became more distincly prominent. These prophecies 
range over several thousand years. They are of a char- 
acter which no human ingenuity nor foresight could pos r 
sibly suggest or anticipate. They are not the statements 
of any one person, but of a long succession of individuals 
who could have no possible intercourse with each other ; 
still all are harmonious. Their prophetic eye is fixed 
upon the same character. As it would extend this article 
beyond reasonable limits, to notice all the predictions, I 
propose to examine, somewhat minutely, some of the more 
prominent predictions. 

Before entering upon this examination, it is indispen- 
sable to know that they are authentic and were uttered 
and recorded many years before the birth of Christ. 
There is at hand one source of proof, of which all may 
avail themselves, and which forbids all possibility of 

p. 614 


JESUS THE CHRIST. 


615 


fraud or collusion. I refer to the fact that the Old Testa- 
ment was translated into the Greek language, two hun- 
dred and eighty years before the birth of Christ. This 
translation, from the original Hebrew into the Greek, is 
called the Septuagint: 4 4 either because it was approved 
and sanctioned by the Jewish Sanhedrim, consisting of 
seventy persons; or rather from the Jewish account, 
which states that so many individuals were employed in 
making it.” — Kitto’s Dictionary. This translation, ac- 
cepted by the learned Jewish Rabbins residing in Alex- 
andria, Egypt, contains all the predictions found in the 
original Hebrew Scriptures. 

Another fact of importance is, that the ancient Jews 
understood from their Scriptures, that a Messiah was 
promised. Further, their expectation of him sustained 
them during their subjection to the Roman power, and 
at the time of Christ’ s appearing they were looking for his 
advent. Then, and for many years after, they believed 
that their prophets spake of a personal Messiah. 

Now that so many centuries have elapsed since the time 
he was expected, according to their Scriptures, the learned 
Jews are reduced to the dilemma of either giving up the 
truthfulness of their prophets, or abandoning the hope 
of a personal Messiah. As they cannot admit that the 
prophecies are not true, they are compelled to surrender 
the hope of a personal Messiah, and to adopt a new theory 
which they now maintain, that the prophecies have refer- 
ence only to a spiritual state which was to come into ex- 
istence and prevail. 

This modern theory, now a necessity, because of their 
rejection of Jesus of Nazareth, as the personal Messiah 
promised, makes strange, very strange work with the in- 
terpretation of many, nay, of all the predictions. For 
example, how can the 53d of Isaiah, so personal in all its 
features, be considered a spiritual state % 4 4 He was wound- 
ed for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniqui- 


616 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


ties.” “The chastisement of our peace was upon him: 
and with his stripes we are healed.” These and other 
similar passages designate personal suffering, the ex- 
piation of human guilt by vicarious sufferings, that is, 
suffering in the place of another. 

But with this new theory we have nothing at present to 
do ; our aim is to show that, in Christ, the predictions of 
Moses and the prophets were perfectly met and accom- 
plished. 


A PROPHET LIKE UNTO MOSES. 

The Hebrew word generally used and translated proph- 
et, is Nabi, which the lexicographer Gfesenius derives from 
.a root which signifies, u to bubble forth, like a fountain.” 
Hence the word is regarded as “ signifying one who an- 
nounces , or pours forth the declarations of God.” Dr. 
Wm. Smith, in his Bible Dictionary says, “ Etymologi- 
cally, however, neither prescience nor prediction is im- 
plied by the term used in the Hebrew, Greek or English 
language.” The prominent idea of a prophet is one who 
teaches the people from God. This may, and often does, 
include the foretelling of events. By reference to the 
acknowledged prophets of the Old Testament, we find 
that their main business was the making known the mind 
of God, and thus instructing the people. They were em- 
phatically the divinely appointed teachers. This was true, 
remarkably, of Moses. His predictions were exception- 
able, but his teachings were constant. He, in all the ages, 
is regarded, by the Hebrews, as their law-giver and teach- 
er. As such he was the type of the Messiah. He was 
one of the earliest. His prediction is that the Messiah 
shall be a prophet similar to himself. — Deut. 18 : 15. 
“The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet 
from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me ; 


JESUS THE CHRIST. 


617 


unto him ye shall hearken.” Again in verse 18, “I will 
raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like 
unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth.” That 
this could not refer to Joshua, who succeeded Moses, and 
was the leader of the tribes, because it is written, Deut. 
34 : 9-10, “ And Joshua, the Son of Nun, was full of the 
spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands on him, 
and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did 
as the Lord commanded Moses.” Joshua only led them 
as Moses commanded, but gave unto them no new laws. 
The supplementary paragraph, evidently written at a 
later period, says, “ And there arose not a prophet since 
in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to 
face.” God thus declares, “If there be a prophet among 
you, I, the Lord, will make myself known unto him in a 
vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant 
Moses is not so * * * with him will I speak mouth to 
mouth” This peculiarity, obtained through all the suc- 
cession of the prophets, that God made known his will to 
them by dreams and visions. But of Moses it is written, 
Exodus 33 : 11, “ The Lord spake unto Moses face to face, 
as a man speaketh unto his friend.” No fact is plainer 
than this, that “there never was any prophet, much less 
a succession of prophets, whom the Jews esteemed like 
unto Moses.” The learned among the Hebrews, down to, 
and long subsequent to the birth of Christ, understood 
and applied this prophecy to their expected Messiah, as 
the only prophet whom they will allow to be greater than 
Moses. The following items of resemblance are peculiar: 
Moses in his infancy was singularly preserved from the 
destruction of all the male children, so was Christ. Moses 
fled from his country to escape the hands of the king, so 
did Christ, whose parents carried him to Egypt. Moses 
returned when those who sought his life were dead. So 
the angel of the Lord said to Joseph, “arise and take the 
young child, and go into the land of Israel, for they are 


618 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


dead which sought the young child’s life.” Moses was 
a prophet, or law-giver, so was Christ. 

That Christ, as a teacher sent from God, perfectly met 
this requisition, there is the most abundant proof. In 
addition to the recorded parables and many discourses, 
we have the direct and diversified testimony of both 
friends and enemies. Matthew says, 4 : 23, ‘ c and J esus 
went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues.” 
Again, 9 : 35. “ And Jesus went about all the cities and 

villages, teaching in their synagogues.” Mark 10: 1, 
“and as he was wont, he taught them again.” Luke 4 : 
16, “and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue 
on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.” Having 
expounded the 61st chapter of Isaiah, as fulfilled in him, 
“all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious 
words which proceeded out of his mouth.” At the close 
of his sermon upon the mount — Matt. 7 : 28, the people 
were astonished at his doctrine ; for he taught them as 
one having authority, and not as the Scribes. Again, Mark 
1 : 21, and they went into Capernaum ; and straightway 
on the Sabbath day, he entered into the synagogue and 
taught. And they were astonished at his doctrine, for 
he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the 
Scribes.” 

Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, came to Jesus and 
said: “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come 
from God, for no man can do these miracles that thou 
doest, except God be with him.” The rulers, when be- 
fore Pilate, said : Luke 23 : 5, “he stirreth up the people, 
teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee 
to this place.” Christ, when betrayed and seized — Matt. 
26: 55, said: “I sat daily with you, teaching with you 
in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.” 

Moses predicted many things, so did Christ : “that the 
Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected of 
the elders, and of the chief priests and scribes, and after 


JESUS THE CHRIST. 


619 


three days rise again.— Mark 8 : 31. More specifically— 
Mark 10 : 33, 34: “Behold, we go np to Jerusalem ; and 
the Son of Man shall be delivered nnto the chief priests, 
and nnto the scribes ; and they shall condemn him to 
death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles ; and they 
shall mock him, and scourge him, and shall spit upon 
him, and shall kill him ; and the third day he shall rise 
again.” He foretold, also, the destruction of Jerusalem 
and the temple, with the signs which were to precede ; 
also, the breaking up of the Jewish commonwealth ; their 
wide dispersion, and the long supremacy of the Gentiles. 

Moses fasted forty days, so did Christ. Moses wrought 
miracles to confirm his mission, so did Christ. Moses 
fed the people in the wilderness, so did Christ. Moses 
had power over the sea, so had Christ, he walked upon 
it, rebuked the wind and the waves and there was a great 
calm. The face of Moses shone when he came down 
from the Mount. So the face of Christ did shine as the 
sun when transfigured upon the mountain. Moses, by 
his prayers, cured the leprosy of Miriam. Christ, by a 
word, healed many lepers. Moses appointed seventy 
rulers for the Hebrews. Christ appointed seventy dis- 
ciples for the land of Canaan. Moses sent twelve men to 
spy out the land. Christ commissioned twelve Apostles 
to visit all nations. Moses brought a special darkness 
over Egypt, which was the forerunner of the destruction 
of the first born. So there was a peculiar darkness at the 
death of Christ, which was the forerunner of the destruc- 
tion of the Hebrew commonwealth and of mourning 
throughout all Israel. Moses instituted the passover, a 
commemorative service, by the offering of a Lamb, none 
of whose bones were to be broken, and whose blood pro- 
tected the people. So Christ offered himself, as the Lamb 
of God, not a bone of whom was broken, and by the 
sprinkling of whose blood, the believing people are saved. 
He also instituted a commemorative service, saying, “this 


620 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


do in remembrance of me.” These parallelisms could be 
much further extended, but here is enough to satisfy 
every unprejudiced and candid mind that Christ was the 
prophet like unto Moses. Jesus said to the Jews, “Had 
ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me : for he 
wrote of me.” — John 5 : 46. The testimony of those who 
had personal knowledge of Christ will confirm our confi- 
dence. “Philip findeth Nathaniel and saith unto him, 
we have found him, of whom Moses in the law and the 
prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 
— John 1 : 45. “Then those men, when they had seen 
the miracle which Jesus did, (feeding the multitude upon 
five loaves) said, this is of a truth that prophet that should 
come into the world.” — John 6 : 14. “Many of the peo- 
ple, therefore, when they heard this saying, said, of a 
truth this is the prophet.”— John 7 : 40. Stephen, the 
first Christian martyr, who looked up steadfastly unto 
heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on 
the right hand of God, testified of Christ, saying, “this 
is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, a 
prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you and 
your brethren, like unto me ; him shall ye hear.” — Acts 
7: 87. 


THE TIME. 

Genesis 49 : 10. The sceptre shall not depart from 
Judah, nor a law-giver from between his feet, until Shi- 
loh come.” This is a part of the patriarchal blessing 
upon Judah, pronounced more than 1,600 years before 
Christ, and a long time before the twelve tribes had the 
form of government which ruled them in Palestine. Un- 
til recently, the learned among the Hebrews have regard- 
ed this passage as referring to the Messiah. The word 
Shiloh means peaceable or pacific , and alludes to the 7 


JESUS THE CHEIST. 


621 


siah, who, by Isa., 9 : 6, is expressly called “the Prince 
of Peace.” The use I now make of this prediction is, to 
fix the time of the appearance of the Messiah. The pat- 
riarch, having given the sovereignty to Judah, declares 
that it shall continue in his tribe, until a person should 
come whose name is Shiloh, or the Peaceful One ; then its 
rule and authority should end. That the governing 
power was settled in the tribe of Judah, is a plain matter 
of history. When God removed Saul, who was of the 
tribe of Benjamin, he established the monarchy in David 
and his posterity, who were of the tribe of Judah. In 
all the subsequent history, this tribe took the precedence. 
After the return from the Babylonish captivity, it gave 
its name to the nation. Under the dominion of the Ho- 
mans, they retained a limited authority. But at the time 
of Christ’s appearing, they were so oppressed, that every- 
thing like a sceptre or independent government, departed 
from J udah. This occurred when the supreme power was 
conferred by the Homans upon Herod. Less than forty 
years after the crucifixion, when Jerusalem was destroyed, 
and the nation scattered, then all vestiges of a sceptre 
and a law-giver, had departed from Judah, for the prom- 
ised Shiloh — the Prince of Peace, had come.” 

The prediction of Daniel, 9 : 24-27, fixes the time for 
the appearance of the Messiah : “ Seventy weeks are de- 
termined,” that is, according to Hebrew notation, seventy 
sevens, or seven times seventy, which is equal to four 
hundred and ninety years. “Know, therefore, and un- 
derstand, that from the going forth of the commandment 
to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the 
Prince, shall be seven weeks, and three score and two 
weeks, and he shall confirm the covenant with many, for 
one week.” These added together, make seventy weeks, 
or four hundred and ninety years. This passage so 
clearly refers to the promised Messiah, that the learned 
Hebrews, when summoned by Herod, when the Magi 


622 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


came to him — Matt. 2 : 4 — made it the basis of their calcu- 
lations, and their expectations. The commencement of 
the seventy weeks is fixed, from the going forth of the 
commandment to build Jerusalem, that is, the edict of 
Artaxerxes, which took place in the 4,256th year of the 
Julian period, in the month Msan, to this add 490 years, 
and it brings us to 4,746th year of the Julian period, 
which corresponds exactly with the year of our Lord, 33, 
being the year when Christ was crucified. This settles 
the time of the appearance, and the cutting off of the 
Messiah. Daniel goes on to foretell the destruction of 
Jerusalem, and the sanctuary, and the ceasing of the 
daily sacrifice and oblation, as following the cutting off 
of the Messiah, which things happened when the Romans 
destroyed the city, burnt the temple, and scattered the 
nation, thirty-eight years after the crucifixion, and which 
was the end of the Jewish polity. Daniel stiles him, 
“ Messiah , the Prince .” It is a striking fact, that for 
many ages, there was no prince of the royal house anoint- 
ed over the nation. The first lawful claimant of this 
title, whose lineage ran back to David, was Jesus, His 
claim was made the legal ground of his crucifixion. 
“ We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbid- 
ing to give tribute to Caesar, saying, that he himself is 
Christ, a king. And Pilate asked him, saying : art thou 
the king of the' Jews % And he answered him and said, 
thou sayest it,” — that is, it is as thou sayest “ And set 
up over his head this accusation: This is Jesus, the 

KING OF THE JEWS.” 


circumstances of birth. 

Isa. 11 : 1. “ And there shall come forth a rod out of 

the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his 
roots. ’ ’ — ver. 10. 4 4 And in that day there shall be a root 


JESUS THE CHRIST. 


623 


of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people.” 
The prophet, having previously announced the, Messiah, 
now presents him as springing from the royal house of 
Judah, when reduced and obscured. The stock remain- 
ing when the tree is felled, is a fit emblem of a decayed 
family. This prediction designates the J ews as the nation, 
Judah as the tribe, and Jesse as the family from which 
the Messiah should come. In Matthew, we have the gen- 
eration of Christ, which shows his regular descent from 
Jesse. “ Obed begat Jesse ; and Jesse begat David,” etc. 
Matthew, giving in detail the line of the kings of Judah, 
and their, descendants, proves the justness of Christ’s 
claim to be the hereditary king of the Jews. — Matt. 1 : 1- 
16. Micah, 5 : 2, thus states the place of his birth. 



VIEW OF BETHLEHEM. 


“ But thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, though thou be little 
among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come 
forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings 
forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” This re- 


624 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


markable passage not only designates Bethlehem as the 
birth-place, but states his personal, previous existence 
“from everlasting.” Corroborative of this we have the 
testimony of the Apostle John, 1 : 1-3, “In the beginning 
was the word, and the word was with God, * * the same 
was in the beginning with God. ’ ’ John 1:14, “ The word 
was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” “No man hath 
seen God at any time ; the only begotten Son, which is in 
the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.” Also 
John 17 : 5. When Herod heard that the wise men, from 
the east, had come to Jerusalem, inquiring, “where is he 
that is born King of the J ews, for we have seen his star 
in the east, and have come to worship him, he was troub- 
led.” And when he had gathered all the chief priests 
and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them 
where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, 
in Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the 
prophet, and “thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art 
not the least among the princes of Juda, for out of thee 
shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.” 
—Matt. 2 : 1-6. Thus the learned appropriated this 
prophecy to the then expected Messiah. The historic 
record is, “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the 
days of Herod, the king.” How came it to pass that 
Joseph and Mary, residents of Nazareth, in Galilee, were 
found at Bethlehem ? The history tells the tale. An im- 
perial decree brought Mary to Bethlehem, the home of 
her ancestors. In the Roman census, the men, women 
and children were enrolled. This portion of the Roman 
territory being then under Herod, a Jew, he caused the 
enrollment to be made in accordance with the Jewish 
genealogical custom, not at the place of abode, but at the 
place of his extraction. “And it came to pass in those 
days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus 
that all the world should be taxed. * * * And all went 
to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph 


JESUS THE CHRIST. 


625 


also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, 
into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Beth- 
lehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 



to be taxed with Mary, his espoused wife, being great with 
child. And so it was, that while they were there, * * she 
brought forth her first-born son.” — Luke 2 : 1-7. To the 

27 


626 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


shepherds the angel said, “fear not: for, behold, I bring 
yon good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 
For nnto yon is born this day, in the city of David, a 
Savionr, which is Christ, the Lord.” “And the shep- 
herds came with haste, and fonnd Mary, and Joseph, and 
the babe lying in a manger.” Bnt for this decree of the 
emperor, calling for a census, in order for a taxation, 
Joseph and Mary wonld have remained at Nazareth. Bnt 
God’s providence so shaped events, as to meet the 
prophecy. 


BORN OF A VIRGIN. 

Isaiah 7 : 14, “ Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bare 
a son, and shall call his name Immannel.” Isaiah 9 : 6, 
“ For nnto ns a child is born, nnto ns a son is given : and 
the government shall be upon his shonlders, and his name 
shall be called wonderful, counsellor, the mighty 

GOD, the EVERLASTING FATHER, the PRINCE OF PEACE.” 
This prophecy cannot be applied to any other sovereign 
than the Immannel whom Isaiah had previously named. 
The ancient Jews understood it as referring to the Mes- 
siah. The phraseology of these passages clearly denote 
the virgin mother, and the humanity of . the Messiah. 
“Bare a son,” “a child is born,” “ a son given,” also the 
divinity, “Mighty God, Everlasting Father,” or, Farther 
of Eternity, eternal in his own existence, and the charac- 
teristic title of Messiah, “ Prince of Peace.” The combi- 
nation of these is a very clear declaration that in the per- 
son of the Messiah there should be the union of God and 
man. 

How stands the record ? Luke 1 : 26, The angel, Ga- 
briel, was sent from God nnto a city of Galilee, named 
Nazareth, nnto the virgin, named Mary, and said unto 
her, “thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth 


JESUS TIIE CHRIST. 


627 


a son, and shall call his name Jesus.’’ “ The Holy Ghost 
shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall 
overshadow thee ; therefore, also that holy thing which 
shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. ” We 
know that Jesus “was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in 
the days of Herod, the king.” And the record is, “now 
all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was 
spoken of the Lord, by the prophet, saying, behold, a 
virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, 
and they shall call his name Immanuel, which, being in- 
terpreted, is God with us.” — Matt. 1 : 22, 23. Of the 
humanity of Christ no one has a doubt. — Heb. 2:9. Of 
his divinity, the Apostle John says, “In the beginning 
was the word, and the word was with God, and the word 
was God.” “And the word was made flesh, and dwelt 
among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only 
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”— John 
1 : 14. Christ claimed to be divine, saying, “John 10: 
30, “I and my Father are one.” The Jews pronounced 
this to be blasphemy, “because that thou, being a man, 
maketh thyself God.” Christ replied, John 10 : 36, “say 
ye of him whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into 
the world, thou blasphemeth, because I said I am the Son 
of God ? If I do not the work of my Father, believe me 
not, but if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the 
works : that ye may know that the Father is in me, and 
I in him.” It was for this claim that they took up stones 
to stone him. Before Pilate they said, “we have a law, 
and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself 
the Son of God.” 


THE FORERUHHER. 

Isa. 40 : 3. “ The voice of him that crietli in the wilder- 
ness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in 


628 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


the desert a highway for our God.” This refers to the 
eastern custom of sending pioneers to prepare the way 
for the coming of the monarch. 

Malachi 3 : 1. — “ Behold, I will send my messenger, 
and he shall prepare the way before me : and the Lord, 
whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even 
the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in,” or 
for whom ye eagerly look. “ Messenger or angel of the 
covenant,” in Genesis 16 : 7, designates God himself ap- 
pearing in human form. Malachi 4 : 5. — “ Behold, I will 
send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the 
great and dreadful day “of the Lord.” The Elijah of 
the gospel, our Lord declares, Matt. 11 : 14, to be John 
the baptist, who possessed the spirit and fidelity of that 
prophet. Concerning John, the angel said to Zacharias, 
“ And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of 
Elias, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 
The record is, Matt. 3 : 1. — “In those days came John 
the baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and 
saying, repent yej for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 
For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, 
saying, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare 
ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” “I 
indeed baptize you with water unto repentance : but he 
that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am 
not worthy to bear : he shall baptize with the Holy Ghost, 
and with fire.” — Matt. 3 : 11. “And this is the record 
of John, when the Jews sent priests and levites from 
J erusalem to ask him, who art thou ? And he confessed, 
and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.” 
* * “lam the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make 
straight the way of the Lord, as saith the prophet Esaias.” 
“And they asked him, why baptizeth thou these, if thou 
be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet ? John 
answered them, saying, I baptize with water : but there 
standeth one among you, whom ye know not ; he it is, 


JESUS THE CHRIST. 


629 


who coining after me is preferred before me, whose shoes 
latchet I am not worthy to unloose.’ ’ “ The next day 

John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, behold the 
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sins of the world ! 
This is he of whom I said, after me cometh a man which 
is preferred before me: for he was before me.” “And 
John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending 
from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I 
knew him not : but he that sent me to baptize with water, 
the same said unto me, upon whom thou shalt see the 
Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he 
which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and 
bare record that this is the Son of God.” Son of God 
was one of the titles of the Messiah. — John 1 : 19. “He 
must increase, but I must decrease.” — John 3 : 30. Bright 
as is the morning star, still it is only the forerunner of 
the brighter sun, and as the sun throws out its golden 
beams, the morning star, though not lost, fades into in- 
visibility. 


MIRACLES. 

Isa. 85 : 5, 6. “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, 
and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall 
the lame leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb 
sing.” When John the Baptist, being in prison, heard 
of the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and 
said unto him : art thou he that should come, or do we 
look for another? Jesus answered, go and show John 
the things which ye do hear and see ; the blind receive 
their sight, the lame walk ; the lepers are cleansed and 
the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have 
the gospel preached to them.” The benignity of the 
miracles of Christ was very conspicuous. The prophets 
wrought miracles, but not in their own name, and by 


630 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


their own power ; but Christ, by his own authority, and 
not by any derived force. At times, his miracle was 
wrought to confirm his divinity. When the man sick of 
the palsy, was lowered from the roof, on his bed, into his 
presence, “he said, son, thy sins be forgiven thee.’ 5 The 
scribes who were present, reasoned in their hearts ; why 
doth ‘ ‘ this man speak blasphemies, who can forgive sins 
but God only V 5 Then, penetrating their thoughts, Christ 
said unto 'them, why reason these things in your hearts ? 
Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, thy 
sins be forgiven thee ; or to say, arise, and take up thy 
bed, and walk ? But that ye may know that the Son of 
Man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the 
sick of the palsy) : I say unto thee, arise, and take up 
thy bed, and go thine way into thine house. And imme- 
diately he arose up, took up his bed, and went forth be- 
fore them all ; insomuch that they were all amazed, and 
glorified God, saying, we never saw it on this fashion.” 
The diversified miracles of Christ are well known and at- 
tested. 


SUFFERING MESSIAH. 

The 53d chapter of Isaiah is so minute, as almost to 
have the character of history. It is not simply personal 
suffering that it describes, but sufferings for others , suf- 
ferings, vicarious and propitiatory in their nature. ‘ ‘ He 
hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, wounded 
for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, with 
Ms stripes we are healed— the Lord laid on Mm the ini- 
quity of us all — he was cut off out of the land of the living, 
for the transgression of my people was he stricken, thou 
shalt make Ms soul an offering for sin, he was numbered 
with transgressofs, and he bare the sin of many.” His 
suffering and death were not for himself, “ for he had 


JESUS THE CHRIST. 


631 


done no violence, neither was any deceit in his month.” 
Daniel 9: 26, says, “ after three-score and two weeks 
shall Messiah be cut off, but not for liimselff 

Isaiah continues to designate the variety of incidents 
which peculiarize his sufferings and death, “ A man of 
sorrows, and acquainted with grief. ” “ He was oppressed 
and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth ; he is brought 
as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her 
shearers is dumb — so he opened not his mouth.” 

“ And the high priest arose and said unto him, ans- 
wereth thou nothing 3” — Matt. 26: 62. “And when he 
was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered 
nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, hearest thou not 
how many things they witness against thee \ And he 
answered him to never a word ; insomuch that the gov- 
ernor marveled greatly.” — Matt. 27 ; 12-14. 


INCIDENTS. 

Of the typical pascal Lamb, it was written, “neither 
shall ye break a bone thereof.”— Ex. 12 : 46, and Numb. 
9: 12. The record is, “when they came to Jesus, and 
saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs. 
These things were done that the Scripture should be ful- 
filled ; a bone of him . shall not be broken.”— John 19: 
33, 36. In Psalm 22 : 16, 18, it is written, “ they pierced 
my hands and my feet”— “they part my garments 
among them, and cast lots upon my vesture." 7 “And 
when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, 
casting lots upon them, what every man should take.” - 
Mark 15 : 24, and John 19, 23, 24. In Psalm 69 : 21, we 
read, “ they gave me also gall for my meat ; and in my 
thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” “They gave him 
vinegar to drink, mingled with gall.” — Matt. 27 : 34. In 
Psalm 22 : 7, 8, it is recorded, “ all they that see me, laugh 


632 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


me to scorn, they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, 
saying, he trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him ; 
let him deliver him, seeing he delighteth in him.” “And 
they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads and 
saying, thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it 
in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, 
come down from the cross.” — Matt. 27 : 39, 40. 

The prophet Zechariah, 11 : 12, 13, has written down a 
strangely remarkable prediction. “And I said unto 
them, (rulers,) if ye think good, give me my price ; and if 
not, forbear. So they weighed for my price, thirty pieces 
of silver. And the Lord said unto me, cast it unto the 
potter ; a goodly price that I was prized at of them. 
And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to 
the potter in the house of the Lord.” “Then one of the 
twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, 
and said unto them, what will ye give me, and I will de- 
liver him unto you ? And they covenanted with him for 
thirty pieces of silver.” — Matt. 26 : 14, 15. When Judas 
confessed his sin, and brought back the thirty pieces of 
silver, and threw them upon the pavement of the temple, 
then “the chief priests took the silver pieces — and they 
took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to 
bury strangers in.” — Matt. 27: 3-7. 

There is one more item connected with the humiliation, 
sufferings, death and burial of our Lord, which demands 
particular notice. Isaiah, 53: 9, says, “ and he made his 
grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death.” 
“And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it 
in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, 
which he had hewn out in the rock.” — Matt. 27: 59, 60. 
Had things taken their usual course, the flesh being sev- 
ered from the bones, would have been cast into the per- 
petually burning fires of Gehenna, in the valley of 
Hinnom, just south of Jerusalem, into which the filth of 
the city was carried ; and only the bones would have been 


JESUS THE CHRIST. 


633 


entombed. The intervention of Joseph of Arimathea, 
saved the body, and gave it honorable burial with the 
rich. 


REJECTION. 

Isa. 53 : 2. — “ He hath no form nor comeliness ; and when 
we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 
He is despised and rejected of men.” Isa. 49 : 7. — “ Thus 
saith the Lord — the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy 
one ; to him whom man despiseth, to him whom the na- 
tion abhorred.” Ps. 22 : 6. — “A reproach of men and 
despised of the people.” As Christ did not meet the ex- 
pectations of the Jews, who looked for a prince who should 
set up a political kingdom, who should rule over them 
and deliver them from the Roman power, they despised 
him, because of his poverty and humble condition. When 
Pilate asked, whom will ye that I release unto you? 
Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? They replied, 
not this man but Barabbas. And when Pilate asked, 
what shall I do then with Jesus who is called Christ? 
They all say unto him, let him be crucified.” Thus, with 
one voice, they despised and rejected him. So also Paul 
taught, when at Antioch, Acts 13 : 27. For they that 
dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew 
him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are 
read every Sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in con- 
demning him. And though they found no cause of death 
in him, yet desired they Pilate that he should be slain. 
And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, 
they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a se- 
pulchre, but God raised him from the dead.” 

RESURRECTION. 

The psalmist, 16 : 10, predicts: “thou wilt not leave 


634 


BIBLE PKINCIPLES. 


my soul in hell : neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy one 
to see corruption.” The Hebrew word sheol here trans- 
lated “hell” designates the unseen state of the dead. 
That this passage refers to Christ is evident from the use 
made of it by Peter on the day of Pentecost. — Acts 2 : 29- 
32. “Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of 
the patriarch David, that is both dead and buried, and 
his sepulchre is with us to this day. Therefore, being a 
prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath 
to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, 
he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne ; he seeing 
this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his 
soul was not left in hell, (grave,) neither his flesh did see 
corruption.” To the high priest, and his company, Peter 
said, “ Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of 
Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, 
whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even 
by him doth this man stand here before you whole.” — 
Acts 4 : 10. 

So also the Apostle Paul reasoned in the synagogue at 
Antioch. “Wherefore, he saith also in another psalm, 
thou shalt not suffer thine Holy one to see corruption. 
For David, after he had served his own generation by the 
will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, 
and saw corruption. But he, whom God raised up, saw 
no corruption.” — Acts 13 : 35-37. 

I need not recall the many evidences of the resurrection 
of Christ. Take as sufficient the summary which the 
Apostle Paul makes. “For I delivered unto you first of 
all that which I also received, how that Christ died for 
our sins according to the Scriptures ; and that he was 
buried, and that he rose again the third day according to 
the Scriptures. And that he was seen of Cephas (Peter) 
then of the twelve. After that, he was seen of above five 
hundred brethren at once ; of whom the greater part re- 
main unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After 


JESUS THE CHRIST. 


635 


that, he was seen of James ; then of all the Apostles. 
And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born ont 
of due time.” — 1 Cor. 15 : 3-8, also Acts 9 : 4, 17. 

It is a significant fact that, with all the vigilance and 
malignant hatred of the chief priests and rulers of the 
Jews, they never confronted the Apostles with any denial 
of the resurrection, when it was boldly asserted, but by 
stripes and imprisonment they aimed to silence them. 
“And when they had brought them, (Apostles whom 
they had putin prison,) they set them before the council: 
and the high priest asked them, saying, did not we straitly 
command you that ye should not teach in this name? 
And, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, 
(resurrection,) and intend to bring this man’s blood upon 
us.”— Acts 5 : 27, 28. 


ASCEHSIOH. 

“Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity 
captive : thou hast received gifts for man ; yea, for the 
rebellious also, that the Lord may dwell among them.”— 
Ps. 68 : 18. Thus spake the psalmist of his Lord long 
ages before the advent and crucifixion of J esus. History 
thus puts on the seal in confirmation: “And he led them 
out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and 
blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, 
he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.”— 
Luke 24 : 50, 51. “While they beheld, he was taken up : 
and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while 
they looked steadfastly towards heaven, he went up.”— 
Acts 1 : 9, 10. The last earthly act of our Lord was a 
benediction. While he blessed them, he was parted from 
them. He ascended. No external force was manifested. 
In opposition to the law of gravitation he went up. By 
his own will he ascended, till a “bright cloud,” the sym- 


636 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


bol of the divine presence, received Mm out of the sight 
of his wondering, awe-struck disciples. With loving 
hearts they gazed fixedly on the retreating cloud, and 
they saw him no more. 

As “ flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of 
God,” for “there is a natural body, and there is a spirit- 
ual body,” it is reasonable to believe, that as our Lord 
ascended from Olivet, his body was changed from that 
which was fleshy and mortal, to that which was spiritual 
and immortal. 

And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem 
with great joy ; and were continually in the temple, prais- 
ing and blessing God.” “They worshiped him.” This 
they could not have done unless confident that he was the 
promised, the divine Messiah, the Son of God. 

Wherefore did the Lord ascend on high ? Prophecy 
answers: “I have set my King upon my holy hill of 
Zion.” “I give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, 
and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” 
— Ps. 2 : 6, 8. “All the ends of the world shall remember 
and turn unto the Lord. And all the kindred of the na- 
tions shall worship thee. For the kingdom is the Lord’ s ; 
and he is the Governor among the nations.” — Ps. 22 : 27, 
28. “ He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and 

from the river unto the ends of the earth.” “ All nations 
shall serve him.” — Ps. 72 : 8. These predict the univer- 
sality of the Redeemer’ s kingdom. Its character is peace- 
ful, righteous and benevolent. “In his days shall the 
righteous flourish, and abundance of peace, so long as 
the moon endureth.” “He shall redeem their souls from 
deceit and violence ; and precious shall their blood be in 
his sight.” — Ps. 72 : 7, 14. Its permanence is unending. 
“They shall fear thee as long as the sun and moon en- 
dure, throughout all generations.” “ His name shall en- 
dure forever ; his name shall be continued as long as the 
sun, and men shall be blessed in him ; all nations shall 


JESUS THE CHRIST. 


637 


call him blessed. 5 ’ “And blessed be his glorious name 
forever : and let the whole earth be filled with his glory. 
Amen, and amen.’ 5 — Ps. 72 : 5, 17, 19, 20. “And the 
Lord shall be King over all the earth : in that day shall 
there be one Lord, and his name one.” — Zecli. 14 : 9. 
“ Of the increase of his government and peace there shall 
be no end. 5 ’ — Isa. 9:7. “ He shall see of the travail of his 

soul, and be satisfied.” — Isa. 58:11. These are but sam- 
ples of the prophetic utterances of the universal spread and 
permanent continuance of Christianity. The Lord, when 
on earth, spake words of cheer. 4 4 Fear not little flock, for 
it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the king- 
dom.” — Luke 12 : 32. Was not this spoken to confirm 
the words of Daniel ? 44 The saints of the Most High shall 

take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even 
forever and ever.” 44 And the kingdom and dominion, 
and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven 
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, 
whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all domin- 
ions shall serve and obey him.” — Dan. 7 : 18, 27. Again 
did our Lord speak, 44 As Moses lifted up the serpent in 
the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” 
— John 3 : 14. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, 
I will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying 
what death he should die.” — John 12: 32, 33. Strange 
utterance ! With his eye upon the cross, there dying as 
a felon, amid the mad rage of the rulers, and the powers 
of darkness triumphing, he was confident. He looked 
through the darkness to the brightness beyond. He saw 
that his death was life to the world. He knew that the 
power of his love, traveling down the ages, would win its 
way to every heart, and fasten the hope and salvation of 
every man upon his cross. I “will draw all men unto 
me.” For this consummation he has taught his people 
devoutly and perseveringly to pray 4 4 thy kingdom come. ’ ’ 
Not that his kingdom may have a recognized place on 


638 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


earth, but that it may become universal and permanent. 
“Thy will be done in earth as it is done in heaven.” 
Prompt, cheerful, individual and universal obedience to 
the divine will, as perfect on earth as it is in heaven. 
“Prayer also shall be made for him continually; and 
daily shall he be praised.” — Ps. 72 : 15. 

These are not yet fulfilled. They come to us upon the 
same authority as those that are completed. They carry 
with them the assurance, that at the proper time they will 
have their full accomplishment. The predictions of the 
coming Messiah had to wait for their confirmation only a 
few centuries. These, which relate to the universal spread 
of Christ’s kingdom, must wait for their fulfilling, many, 
it may be very many centuries. “But beloved, be not 
ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord 
as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” 
— 2 Pet. 3 : 8. Men, generations of earnest Christian 
workers, will doubtless pass away, having witnessed only 
progress. They die, but not without hope, to warrant the 
confidence that the whole will be wrought out in the ful- 
ness of time. 


FACTS. 

When Christianity commenced its career, it was envel- 
oped in portentous clouds of gloom. Unparalleled diflh 
culties threatened its life. Its founder, dishonored by 
scourging, and crucified as a felon, had stamped upon him 
the indelible brand of infamy. His disciples were few. 
His Apostles were obscure, unlearned fishermen, without 
civil or ecclesiastical influence. The religious rulers had 
great power, which they wielded with persecuting hatred. 
The heathen civil powers were also hostile and determined 
upon the destruction of Christianity. Still it lived and 
spread. It began with twelve, and of these one was an 


JESUS THE CHRIST. 


639 


apostate, which left only eleven. Next we read of one 
hundred and twenty in an upper chamber in Jeresalem, 
then of three thousand at the pentecost. Then of daily 
additions, then the number was about five thousand, then 
of “ daily additions, then believers were the more added 
to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.” Then 
persecution scattered the disciples, and they went every- 
where preaching Jesus and the resurrection. This ma- 
ligned and cruelly treated cause spread so rapidly, that 
in about half a century, churches were established in most 
of the prominent cities of the Eoman empire. It so won- 
derfully survived the many cruel persecutions under the 
Eoman emperors, that it passed into a proverb, ‘ ‘ the blood 
of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” 

When Christianity commenced its glorious career, it 
had no controlling influence over either the territory or 
population of the globe. How stands the facts now? 
According to the estimate of Professor A. J. Schem : 

The total population of the earth is . . . 1,396,752,000 

Under non-Christian governments, .... 711,383,589 

Under Christian governments, 685,449,411 

Nominal Christianity is only less than half by . 25,924,178 

The total area of the earth in square miles is . 52,062,470 

Under Christian governments, 32,419,915 

Under non-Christian governments, .... 19,642,555 

Christian countries have an excess of ... . 12,777,460 

It is less than a century that organized and efficient 
efforts have been made to spread Christianity among the 
pagan and heathen population. Within that period the 
Bible has been translated into all the languages and most 
of the dialects of the people. Christian colleges and 
schools are established widely in heathen lands. Missions 
have penetrated the darkest lands and are gathering in 
multitudes to the Christian faith. The appliances, by 


640 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


steam-power, telegraphs, commerce, etc., are bringingthe 
nations nearer together, and are facilitating the progress 
of true religion. The gain made in the last century, when 
all the preparatory work had to be done, gives assurance 
that the coming century will so advance the cause as to 
assure the perfect fulfillment of the predictions of the 
universal spread of the kingdom of our Lord. 

To carry out the benevolence of the redemptive scheme 
in all its bearings to the utmost completion, “ Jesus, who 
was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering 
of death, is crowned with glory,” is gone into heaven, 
and is on the right hand of God ; angels, authorities, and 
powers being made subject unto him. “For by him 
were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are 
in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or 
dominions, or principalities, or powers : all things were 
created by him and for him.” When God “raised him 
from the dead,” he “ set him at his own right hand in the 
heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, 
and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, 
not only in this world, but also in that which is to come : 
and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to 
be head over all things to the church, which is his body, 
the fullness of him that filleth all in all.” “ For he must 
reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.” 

Head of the church — certainly ; but not in such a sense 
as to form part of it ; as the head of a man is a part of his 
body or person. So he is called the King of Zion, but 
not as an earthly king, who is a part of the nation itself. 
So Christ is not a part of the many millions saved by his 
blood, who constitute his church. He does not rank with 
them in nature, though by condescension and sympathy, 
he is their elder brother. His position is not merely one 
of exaltation. “ Though God hath highly exalted him, 
and given him a name which is above every name, and 
hath crowned him with glory and honor ; for this might 


JESUS THE CHEIST. 


641 


be, and lie still be a part of tlie church. Moses, the ser- 
vant of God, was greatly exalted, so also was Paul, yet 
these in their exaltation, are still parts of the church of 
Christ. The position of the Redeemer arises from his 
nature, which is different from that of any and of all the 
members of his church. Whilst God, as the Creator, is 
the head of the material universe, yet he is no part of that 
creation, though it exists only in him. So Jesus Christ, 
whilst he is the head, is still no part of the church, though 
the church exists in and through him. He is not one in 
a long line of prophets, nor is he the chief of them. He 
is not as one of the many servants of God, nor the chief 
of them. But he is the Son — the only begotten Son of 
God ; of the same identical nature with the Father, u be- 
ing the brightness of his glory, and the express image of 
his person,” and, therefore, the proper object of religious 
homage. To him, the whole of the past points as to no 
other. Abraham rejoiced to see his day, though afar off. 
The Levitical types and sacrifices derived all their mean- 
ing and efficacy from him. The prophets all spake of 
him. The miracles gave their testimony to him. The 
devils crouched before him, and recognized him as the 
Son of God. The redeemed in heaven cast their crowns 
at his feet, and worship him with adoring wonder and 
praise. The angels around the throne join in the adora- 
tion, and sing of his glorious majesty. The position 
which he occupies is that of peerless preeminence, by 
reason of his divine nature. Take that away, and you 
make him only a link in the great chain. Take that 
divine nature away, and you take the original and es- 
sential luster from the sun, and make it only as a planet 
to reflect the light which it borrows. 

This world, be it remembered, grand as it may seem to 
us, is hardly a speck in the vast, and to us limitless, ma- 
terial universe. And all the inhabitants, from the begin- 
ning tp the end, are scarcely an item in the inventory of 


642 


BIBLE PEINCIPLES. 


the countless myriads of intelligent and accountable be- 
ings wliom God lias created. Yet every intelligent being 
in the vast universe, has a personal and eternal interest 
in the manifestations of divine justice and mercy which 
are here being displayed. The redemptive scheme, by 
which the guilty are pardoned, the rebellious made loyal, 
and the polluted purified, is the wonder of heaven. 
“The angels desire to look into” it. God has revealed 
the ulterior purposes of the atonement as affecting per- 
sonally, all the pure spirits around his throne. 

The purpose was eternal: “The Lamb slain from the 
foundation of the world.” — Rev. 13: 8. By means of 
the church gathered out of this sinful world, and purged 
from sin by the blood of Christ, God purposed to make 
known “his manifold,” multifarious, greatly diversified 
“wisdom” to the principalities and powers in heavenly 
places. Why make this manifestation \ Certainly not 
for his own gratification, but for their instruction, that 
they may perfectly understand the true nature of sin, and 
that their confidence in the rectitude and benevolence of 
his government might be confirmed with unwavering 
trust. For here, in this world, as nowhere else, is the 
true and unalterable nature of sin demonstrated. And 
here, as nowhere else, is seen that wonder of all wonders, 
how God can be just, and the justifier of the ungodly, 
through the atonement of his Son. 

When the angels rebelled, the holy ones saw the mean- 
ness, the baseness, and evil of sin. When they were 
immediately cast out of heaven, the loyal ones saw God’ s 
deep abhorance of sin. But they could not then know 
its virulent and relentless malignity. They could not 
then know what might be the effect of forbearance on the 
part of God. Who could then tell that the rebellious 
would not repent if a solitary ray of hope had lighted up 
their intense darkness and despair ? All these and many 
other things are settled, and settled forever, by the de- 


JESUS THE CHEIST. 


643 


monstrations made upon this earth. God has shown the 
holy ones that he was not cruel when he hurled the devil 
and his angels into their prison. He means to establish 
forever the true nature of sin, by demonstrating, through 
ages of its diversified treatment, that it takes advantage 
of the patience, the forbearance, the love, the mercy of 
God, to go on to deeper depths of malignity and hatred. 
All this lies open to the view of the heavenly principali- 
ties and powers. They can have no misgivings as to the 
degraded and viciously selfish character it always in- 
volves, and of the inevitable misery it produces. They 
must see and understand, and with adoring wonder ac- 
knowledge, the manifold wisdom and benevolence of God 
in his treatment, and final disposition of the incorrigibly 
wicked. 

When the grand consummation shall come, and the 
redeemed from all time are gathered to the realms of the 
blessed, then it will be found that ‘ 4 where sin abounded, 
grace did much more abound.” Counting all who have 
died in infancy, whose salvation, as I judge, is secured 
by the atonement and the Holy Spirit, and including the 
converts through the long ages of the millennium, when 
the whole world will be densely populated, I am confident 
it will be found that the overwhelming mass of human 
souls will have been saved from the penalty and power 
of sin by faith in 44 the blood of the Lamb.” The pledge 
of reward to Christ was, “He shall see of the travail of 
his soul, and shall be satisfied;” — Isa. 53 : 11. “Tra- 
vail of soul” — what does it mean? Strange and pe- 
culiar language in application to the Redeemer. The 
event to which the word usually refers, suggests the idea 
of toil, prolonged and intense suffering. So 4 4 travail of 
soul ” must set forth the anguish of the Son of God, when 
he 4 4 bore our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” It de- 
notes the excessive toil and labor, the weariness and trials 
involved in the work of redemption. It was that which 


644 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


in the garden exhausted all the human powers of the 
Messiah, and which, but for the strengthening of the an- 
gel, would have then crushed him in death. 

As “travail” is the distinctive sorrow which came with 
the apostacy, and is the peculiar suffering connected with 
the birth of every human being; so “travail of soul” 
teaches what Christ endured, to give spiritual existence 
to his church. Without his “travail of soul,” there 
could have been no church. Not a solitary soul among 
men could have been redeemed from the death of sin, and 
born into a new spiritual life, eternal and glorious. We 
must include in this “travail of soul,” all the sufferings 
which he endured through all his abode on earth ; whether 
despised and rejected— whether in the sorrowful bloody 
sweat in the garden, or the pains of crucifixion, or the 



GETHSEMANB. 


intense anguish when forsaken by his father, and amid 
the unnatural darkness, “he cried with a loud voice, my 
God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” The lan- 


JESUS THE CHRIST. 


645 


guage denotes tlie conscious soul of tlie Redeemer, as 
more immediately the seat of his atoning agonies. It 
carries us into the inner-man, and we there see the mighty 
workings when “ it pleased the Lord to bruise him— to 
put him to grief, and make his soul an offering for sin. 
It is only by going into the inner-man that we can even 
approximate an estimate of the bloody passion — the throes 
— the deep and heavy pangs — the mysterious amazement, 
the awful sinkings, and the crushing unto death. His 
soul — his mind, with all its vastness — his heart, with all 
its tenderness — was in travail for the salvation of unnum- 
bered millions of immortal beings — the church bought 
and purified by his blood. 

With the suffering came the promise, “he shall be 
satisfied.’ ’ Unfailing shall this promise be. It is the 
pledge of the truthful father to his beloved son. Heaven 
and earth must pass away, sooner than the least iota of 
this pledge shall fail. He, the suffering atoning Saviour, 
shall be satisfied. He, preeminently, as though it were 
a matter of little moment, whether any others are satis- 
fied or not. The satisfaction is his, peculiarly his. He 
will not be required in the spirit of submission, to ac- 
quiesce in what he does not understand and cannot com- 
prehend ; but knowing with perfect intuitive accuracy all 
things, he will be satisfied with the results of his suffer- 
ings. He will see such rich and abundant fruit of his 
unparalleled “ travail of soul,” as to be an ample recom- 
pense for all that he endured. So far from regretting 
the wearisome days and deep anxieties which ploughed 
up his very soul, he will have pleasure, the intensest 
pleasure, in the contemplation, for the reward shall be 
overflowing and enduring. Who, “for the joy that was 
set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.” 
— Heb. 12 : 2 . And being seated at the right hand of 
the throne, he will have all that his soul could desire. 
“For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, 


646 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


that he might destroy the works of the devil.” — 1 John 
3 : 8. If, as some would estimate from the present and 
past history of this world, it should appear that only a 
small minority are saved, there would be a perpetual ju- 
bilee in hell, that Satan had thwarted the Son of God and 
gained the victory. If it should be found that Christ had 
secured the salvation of only one-half the human family, 
Satan would call it a drawn game, and rejoice over his 
spoils. In either of these cases could the benevolent 
heart of the Redeemer be “ satisfied ?” Could it then be 
said he had fulfilled his mission to “ destroy the works of 
the devil?” But when it shall come out, clear, distinct, 
and unquestionable, that the number of the persistently 
impenitent and incorrigibly wicked, though great, is so 
comparatively small as only to illustrate the malignant 
character of sin and the necessity of punishment ; — when 
the great multitude, which no man can number, of all na- 
tions, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, shall stand 
before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white 
robes, and palms in their hands, crying with a loud voice, 
Salvation to our God, which sitteth upon the throne, and 
unto the Lamb; “ Salvation, and glory, and honor, and 
power, unto the Lord our G-od : for true and righteous are 
his judgments;” — when the voice of many angels round 
about the throne, and the living creatures and the elders, the 
number of them being ten thousand times ten thousand, and 
thousands of thousands, cry with a loud voice, as they 
shout the victory, ‘ ‘ W orthy is the Lamb that was slain to 
receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and 
honor, and glory, and blessing ;” “ Blessing, and glory, 

and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, 
and might, be unto our God forever and ever;” — when 
the redeemed swell again the grateful song, “For thou 
wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood 
out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and na- 
tion ;” — and when the triumphal chorus of “ every crea- 


JESUS THE CHEIST. 


647 


ture wliicli is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the 
earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,” 
cry, “ Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be un- 
to him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb 
for ever and ever:” — then will the Redeemer say, I am 
satisfied. I have put all enemies under my feet. I have 
destroyed the works of the devil. I have utterly and for 
ever crushed out his kingdom. I have shut him and his 
followers in their own appropriate place, the prison-house 
of despair. I have gathered out of that world, ruined by 
sin, a multitude so vast that no man can number them. I 
have confirmed in holiness all the principalities and po w- 
ers in the heavenly places, so that in all the ages there 
shall never again be a falling away. I have conquered 
death, the fruit of sin, and abolished it, and there shall 
be no more dying. I have restored peace and harmony 
in all the holy empire of God, so that through all eternity 
there shall be joy, and gladness, and praise. I am sat- 
isfied. The reward is greater than was the deep anguish 
of the travail of my soul. Then will he say to his re- 
deemed, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the 
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the 
world.” Enter into your rest; the victory over sin and 
death is complete and eternal. “ Receive the end of your 
faith, the salvation of your souls” — “an inheritance in- 
corruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away.” 


Kihd Reader, a word with you ere we part. In all 
these articles I have aimed to entertain and instruct. A 
nobler and more holy motive has influenced me. It is so to 
present God and his government as to win your confidence. 
So to set forth Christ as to ensure your love. I will not 
tell of my own experience, but will call up one, as a wit- 
ness, who at first conscientiously and honestly hated, and 
thought he ought to do many things contrary to the name 
of Jesus of Nazareth, and who persecuted unto death his 


648 


BIBLE PRINCIPLES. 


disciples. His mind and whole life was changed. His 
language is heroic. ‘ ‘ Giod forbid that I should glory save 
in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” — Gal. 6 : 14. 
“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the 
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord : 
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do 
count them but dung, that I may win Christ and be found 
in him.” — Phil. 3 : 8. Such was his confidence in the un- 
changable love of Christ that he says, “ I am persuaded, 
that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, 
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor 
height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able 
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ 
Jesus our Lord.” — Rom. 8: 38, 39. At the close of his 
eventful life, with martyrdom close at hand, with triumph- 
ant confidence he says, “ I have fought a good fight, I 
have finished my course, I have kept the faith : hence- 
forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, 
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at 
that day : and not to me only, but to all them also that 
love his appearing.” — 2 Tim 4 : 6-8. 

What Jesus Christ was to Paul, he can be to every hu- 
man being. “I am the way, the truth, and the life ; no 
man cometh to the Father, but by me.” — John 14 : 6. 
“All the promises of God in him are yea, and in him 
amen.” — 2 Cor. 1 : 20. “He is the propitiation for our 
sins ; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the 
whole world. ” — 1 J ohn 2 :2. “ ~N either is there salvation 

in any other, for there is none other name under heaven 
given among men, whereby we must be saved.” — Acts 4: 
12. “ The Spirit and the bride say, come. And let him 

that heareth, say, come. And let him that is athirst, 
come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life 
freely.” — Rev. 22: 17. 



































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